Over the last three decades organic food and farming has been growing year by year across the EU and continues doing so. The EU’s organic market is very dynamic with growth rates varying between countries. Policies can positively impact this growth – both production and consumption.

In 2022, the EU’s total area of farmland under organic production grew to 16.9 million hectares. Compared to 2021, the number of organic producers in the EU increased by 10,8% to 419,112. However, the EU’s organic retail market does not accompany the significant production growth, decreasing by 3% as to 2021 data and resulting in 45.1 billion EUR, still the second largest market, after the USA and followed by China.

The EU’s organic market is very dynamic with growth rates varying between different countries. Its continuous positive development is due to a combination of factors. Besides the innovative character of organic food and farming, growing policy support and European citizens increasing demand for high-quality, sustainable food production, despite the geopolitical situation and the ongoing war in Ukraine. This is well represented in the growing per capita consumption of organic products, which reached 102 EUR on average. Generally speaking, consumers spend more on organic food every year with certain product groups achieving above-average market shares.