Switzerland: organically produced foods on the rise

With a per capita expenditure of about 260 euros, Switzerland is the worldwide leader. With sales of 2.1 billion euros, the organic market volume also grew by 5% in 2015.

The number of organic farmers increased to 6,000 in 2015, with an organically farmed area of 137,000 hectares. Today, 12.8% of the farmland in the Swiss Confederation is organically farmed. The trend towards conversion to organic farming is continuing, also in 2016. More than 230 new businesses have registered with Bio Suisse so far.

According to Jürg Schenkel, head of marketing with the Swiss federation of organic farmers, Bio Suisse, fresh products remain the most important segment with sales worth 1 billion euros. With a growth of 10% to 1 billion euros, the segment according to Mr Schenkel has now reached a two-digit market share.

Still, eggs and bread remain the favourite individual products, with remarkable market shares of 24% and 20% of the total consumption. This is followed by vegetables, ranking third with a market share of 18%.