BRITISH organic products are “in high demand” as the UK organic food and drink market enters its 14th year of consecutive growth, newly-released figures from the Soil Association Certification.
The newly-released Organic Market Report covering trends from 2025, shows that the market has doubled in value over the last decade to reach £3.9bn.
The data shows that 83% of households are buying organic and that shoppers are “seeking to back British farmers” when they do, with strong growth in organic milk, eggs and carrots which are predominantly produced in the UK.
In 2025 overall sales of organic increased by +4.2%, with the major driver of this growth in supermarkets where there was a sales uplift of +7%. Organic is also outpacing non-organic with the unit growth of organic in supermarkets four times that of non-organic.
Most organic farmers (85%) report sales either growing or staying stable with less than 10% experiencing a sales drop, according to a farmer survey conducted as part of the Organic Market Report.
The report also revealed that the frequency of organic purchases has increased in supermarkets, with shoppers on average buying organic once every three weeks.
Organic farmer and Soil Association farming advisor Adrian Steele said: “The continued growth of the organic market reflects the strong consumer demand for nature-friendly food. With high demand for organic products that are predominantly produced in the UK, we can also be encouraged that shoppers looking for organic’s environmental and welfare benefits also seem to be seeking to back British farmers.
“Supermarkets have been taking note and have reacted with rebrands and expansions to their organic ranges, along with more price promotions and loyalty discounts. This presents a key opportunity for our farmers to tap into demand from both consumers and retailers.”
While consumer demand remains strong, this is still largely being met by imports because the UK’s overall organic production remains stagnant.
The latest government figures, covering 2024, show the overall percentage of UK farmland stuck at 3%. While there was an increase in land in-conversion in England last year, this dramatically slowed when the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) closed abruptly. But the government has recently revealed details for the revised SFI which included a renewed commitment to organic. Support for converting to organic and ongoing management of organic land will be included in the new scheme, which is set to reopen via two application windows in June and September.
But England has yet to set any targets to increase organic production, unlike Scotland which is aiming to double its organic farmland. The EU has also committed to achieving at least 25% organic farmland by 2030.
The Scottish Organic Action Plan, launched in January 2026, saw Holyrood commit to a three-year, £200,000-invested strategy aimed at expanding organic land, increasing production, and boosting demand for Scottish organic products, with strategic routes to market support such as public procurement.
Photo: Abdul Waheed
