Swiss organic market continues to grow in 2013

The latest figures for the Swiss organic market (from 2013), recently presented by Bio Suisse (www.biosuisse.ch), show a clear increase in organic retail sales in Switzerland. Bio Suisse —the umbrella organization representing Swiss organic sector— unites over 90% of Swiss organic farms. The Swiss organic market has experienced dynamic growth in previous years as well, but the growth from 2012 to 2013 was 12.1%, which is above average.

In 2013, retail sales amounted to CHF 2.053 billion (EUR 1.69 billion).

According to data from AC Nielsen (excluding organic specialized retailers, direct marketing, and discount stores), the organic market reached a market share of 6.9%, a new record. All products experienced an increase in 2013, both in sales and market share. Fresh produce achieved a turnover of more than CHF 1 billion (EUR 860 million) and a market share of 9.1%. The most popular organic foods were eggs (organic revenue share of 21.2%) and fresh bread (20.3%). The largest increase in sales was recorded for meat (+16%), fruit (+16.1%), and finished products (+16.9%). Drinking milk increased by 3% to a share of 18.6% of the total market. Cheese sales increased by 13.6% (6.3% of the total market).

According to the latest figures, more than a third of all Swiss consumers bought organic products several times a week. The per-capita consumption rose to CHF 253 (EUR 207.80) in 2013.

With a market share of 48.8%, Coop remained the leader in organic product sales, followed by Migros (25.7%) and the specialized organic retailers (12.6%). The latter were able to increase their sales by 12.6% to CHF 259 million (EUR 212.7 million), after years of stagnation.

The total land used by organic agriculture in Switzerland increased by 5,000 ha, compared to 2012, and is now 129,000 ha. There were 5,884 producers and 847 processors in 2013, according to Bio Suisse.

More information

• biosuisse.ch: Landwirtschafts- und Marktzahlen