Switzerland: Organic sales of vegetables, fruit and milk increase significantly

From September 2017 to August 2018, 46,663 tonnes of organic vegetables worth 340 million euros were sold in Swiss retail outlets. This is seven percent more than in the same period last year, according to the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). At the same time, conventional vegetable sales had fallen by three percent.

According to FOAG, the organic vegetables with the highest turnover are tomatoes, carrots and peppers. In terms of quantity, carrots are ahead of tomatoes and cucumbers. This means that the Swiss organic vegetable hit list corresponds to that of the German retail trade. A comparison of the statistics shows that the Swiss buy significantly more organic salads and broccoli than the Germans. Asparagus plays a far more important role for these than it does in Switzerland.

Increasing importance of berry fruits

Organic fruit sales in Switzerland grew by 13 percent from September 2017 to August 2018. In Switzerland, as in Germany, bananas, apples, lemons and oranges are the top-selling products. In terms of turnover, the FOAG points to the increasing importance of berry fruit. Heidelberries, raspberries and strawberries were in the top ten of the top-selling organic fruits.

The market for organic milk is also growing strongly in Switzerland, on average ten percent in each of the last few years. According to FOAG, rising demand is also leading to rising prices for producers. They currently receive an average of around 80 Swiss Rappen, which is 70 Euro cents, per litre. Conventional farmers receive 63 Rappen, i.e. 55 Euro cents, which is significantly more than their German colleagues. Overall, the organic share of processed milk in Switzerland is 6.7 per Euro cent, twice as high as in Germany.

Average surcharge for organic products is 49 percent

The FOAG Market Analyses Department publishes a quarterly report with data on the organic market in Switzerland. Each time it contains a shopping basket that compares the prices of organic and non-organic food. The average surcharge for organic products is 49 percent. From a German perspective, the relatively low surcharge for meat and sausages is astonishing.

Please also read: France: Trends and tendencies in the organic specialist trade