Organic food market in the UK - statistics & facts

UK organic market

The organic market in the United Kingdom has also seen growth in recent years. In five years, the sales value grew by over 30 percent, reaching above three billion British pounds in 2021. Across all retail types, sales of organic products increased in value; supermarkets are the largest retail channel with sales totaling approximately 1.97 billion British pounds in 2021. Dairy had the largest share of organic food retail sales, while produce ranked second that year.

Organic agriculture

As of 2020, there were more than 450 thousand hectares of organic farming area in the UK. The majority of the land is in England, with just over 300 thousand hectares of organic and in-conversion farmland in the country. There is more organic poultry in the UK than any other type of organic livestock. Organic poultry surpassed 3.5 million heads in 2020.

Consumer trends

In 2020, it was reported that the average spend on organic food and drinks amounted to approximately 2.6 billion British pounds. Though organic foods are becoming more commonplace in the UK market, not all consumers are convinced by organic products yet. Adults 65 years and older are less likely to try organic products than younger groups. Income and education also affect perception of organic food. Adults with a university degree or higher in the UK are more likely to try organic and the lower the income, the more ambivalent an individual is likely to be regarding organic products.

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