Euromonitor released data of organic and free from market

According to a new Euromonitor study, foods and beverages offering health benefits, such as free-from, and organic, drove sales in 2016 with around 7%.

Organic foods and beverages were increasing by 6.8% to reach US$36 billion and free-from increasing by 7% to reach US$32 billion. “Growth in organic and free-from food sales has boomed in 2016 as consumers are reading labels more carefully than ever,” said Ewa Hudson, head of health and wellness at Euromonitor International, “seeking natural ingredients and looking for foods that represent a ‘guilt-free’ purchase.”

Lactose-free and hypoallergenic options are the drivers

The increasing demand for lactose-free and hypoallergenic options within foods and beverages has contributed to the growth of free-from, which is set to generate an additional US$9.5 billion sales by 2021 and will become the fastest growing category in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe and North America with an average of 5.4 percent growth, explains Euromonitor.

“A clear statement that combines health, convenience, fashionable packaging and affordable price is the winning strategy behind health and wellness developments,” said Hudson. Organic is also in sync with the natural and clean label trend, and so unlikely to fall out of favour with consumers in the foreseeable future.”

Free-from and organic foods and beverages will continue to contribute to the global health and wellness industry which is on the way to hit a record high of US$833 billion by 2021, Euromonitor concludes.