Italy: strong organic growth and interesting new initiatives

Ultimo minuto bio (last minute organic) was launched in June. This is the first Italian project to sell organic products that are unmarketable through the traditional system. The initiative was planned and organised through Sefea, EcorNaturaSì and Kilometri Zero. The first of these stores is located at Bieló in Padova-Guizza, where consumers can find fruit and vegetables, bakery products, flour, pasta, processed tomatoes, juices, chilled vegan products and yoghurt at prices up to 70% lower than the average price on the market. Ultimo minuto bio is expected to expand in the region and beyond, and aims to take concrete action in the fight against food waste and to introduce organics to people who are not yet organic customers due to a restricted budget.

Whatever cannot be sold at Ultimo minuto bio in the first shop in Padova and the second one expected soon in the same town will eventually be donated to soup kitchens, associations or communities in the locality. In this phase of distribution, a group of university volunteers is involved in delivering foodstuffs to the various social facilities. (Pictures: Selection of products at Ultimo minuto bio. Signs explain the price advantages)

Shopping at Coop is becoming even greener. From 2009 to 2013, the Vivi Verde line, with more than 400 organic and other sustainable articles, has registered growth of 70%. In 2013 alone, sales increased by 12%. Comparing the data for organic and conventional products from April 2014 with April 2013 reveals that organic pasta increased by 55% compared with the 6% growth of traditional pasta. In the same period, organic milk grew by 7% compared with conventional milk (1%) and organic eggs by 6% compared with +3% for conventional eggs. The same goes for organic canned tomatoes: plus 11%, and -1% for conventional. Household detergents and cosmetics in the Vivi Verde line registered an increase of 21%, while the traditional counterparts fell by 5%. Besides this positive development, Coop reports a decrease in their biodegradable shopping bags in favour of reusable bags, and an increase in bulk products. (Picture: Some of Vivi Verde's vegetarian products)
 
Italia in Miniatura is the first theme park in Italy for schools. Last year, over 60,000 children and teenagers came to visit. Due to an agreement with Baule Volante, an Italian meal with organic ingredients is now offered, specifically designed for the young ones. It consists of pasta, a chop and a chocolate bar from the company’s gluten-free range. Italia in Miniatura has been putting more and more emphasis on the quality of its offer, food education and respect for the environment. Baule Volante, organic pioneer in Italy, belongs to the EcorNaturaSì group. In the theme park, the company sees a further possibility "to make learning fun". (Picture: the Baule Volante sign in front of the miniature of the Basilica della Madonna di San Luca, a reproduction of the church in the hills surrounding Bologna).
 

The Italian organic market is still on the rise. Data revealed by ISMEA at Sana show that in the first five months of 2014, domestic acquisitions of packaged organics in large retail chains grew by 17.3% in value. In in the same period, total food purchases decreased by 1.4%. Reasons for this huge growth are the increasing number of organics, the depth of the assortment, as well as to the introduction of new products lines like Pasta Senatore Cappelli, as well as products based on kamut, emmer and buckwheat. More supermarkets offer organics now, and new private label products have been introduced in discounters. The dynamics of the current year have depended in particular on large increases in pasta, rice and bread substitutes and the category sugar, coffee and tea. Various other product groups also saw a double-digit increase (see table below). (Picture: A café - bistro at NaturaSì in Bologna: Organic coffee becomes more and more popular in Italy)

The agricultural basis und the number of producers are growing too. According to the initial analysis of data, there were 52,383 organic operators in Italy on 31 December 2013 - a growth of 5.4% on the previous year. 41,513 operators were working as producers exclusively and 6,154 as processors (including companies that are active in retail). 4,456 companies were both producers and processors and 260 were importers.  As in the past, the distribution of operators within Italy shows Sicily had most organic operators (8,954), followed by Calabria. The number of processing companies was highest in Emilia Romagna. Organic land amounted to 1,317,177 hectares – a growth of 12.8% on the previous year. The main organic area was dedicated to meadows, fodder and cereals. Olive growing also played an important role. (Source: Ministry of Agriculture. Data was supplied by the control bodies operating in the Italian organic sector and elaborated by SINAB).

(Picture: Presentation of salad and vegetables at the fair SANA)

Table: Sales of organic products in Italian supermarkets
 

 

(Source: Ismea, GFK-Eurisko)