Italy: Tutto Bio 2013 launched

The organic yearbook Tutto Bio 2013 is available now. At its 19th edition, it is published by Bio Bank and edited by Achile Mingozzi and Rosa Maria Bertino. It costs 16 euros and can be purchased in various stores in Italy or online here: http://www.ibs.it/. Over 10,300 organic operators in Italy are published on 352 pages. The organic sector is constantly moving, with 200 operators leaving and 900 joining last year:

Sales points: 1,270 shops, 10 supermarkets, 64 e-commerce businesses
Direct sales: 29 offering groups, 2,795 companies, 130 e-commerce business, 234 farmers’ markets, 891 purchasing groups
Catering: 1,541 agritourisms, 301 restaurants
Food: 13 control bodies, 61 companies, 127 fairtrade companies
Cosmetics and cleaners: 10 control bodies, 235 companies
Children: 14 catering companies, 1,196 school canteens and 584 educational farms
Promotion: 13 publications, 34 fairs and 154 associations

 The strength of organics lies in its dense network that spans the country, linking and creating new alliances, stimulating innovations and setting examples. From purchasing groups to new networks of solidarity, six stories are presented in this edition of Tutto Bio. A view on new products is given on 77 illustrated cards. The yearbook also includes the Bio Card, with which the cardholder gets discounts of 10% at 707 organic operators.

Bio Bank is the database for organics in Italy, but also for ecological and ethical companies. The annual census is the heart of the Bio Bank Report. The new  report is also featured in Tutto Bio. It compares the numbers of organic operators of 2012 to those of 2008:

Purchasing groups grew by 86%, from 479 in 2008 to 891 in 2012
E-commerce grew by 60% from 81 in 2008 to 130 in 2012
Restaurants grew by 51% from 199 in 2008 to 301 in 2012
School canteens grew by 51%, from 791 in 2008 to 1,196 in 2012
Farm gate sales grew by 44% from 1943 in 2008 to 2,795 in 2012
Agritourisms grew by 31% from 1,178 in 2008 to 1,541 in 2012
Shops grew by 14% from 1,114 in 2008 to 1,270 in 2012
Farmers' markets grew by 13% from 208 in 2008 to 234 in 2012
 

When it comes to absolute numbers of operators, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Tuscany are the most important regions. In Lombardy, one can find the highest number of school canteens, restaurants, purchasing groups and shops. Emilia-Romagna has most direct sales and farmers’ markets, and in Tuscany, most e-commerce companies and agritourisms can be found. The full Bio Bank report is available here: http://www.biobank.it/