The organic fruits and vegetables market - France

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Organic" fruit and vegetables come fromorganic farming, which is a system of agricultural management and food production that combines the best environmental practices with a high level of biodiversity. It aims to preserve natural resources and applies high standards of animal welfare. In addition, this production method uses mainly natural substances and products, and prohibits the use of synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, artificial fertilizers or growth hormones. Organic fruit and vegetables are the largest and most dynamic segment of the global organic food market (which also includes beverages, cookies, meats and other condiments).the organic fruit and vegetable market includes producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, cooperatives, specialty store franchises, independent stores and supermarkets.

The global market is dominated by the United States, which has over 39% of the world market share[FiBL], but France is not to be outdone, as the national market ranks in 3ᵉ position, just behind Germany.

The French market is extremely dynamic, with the number of its producers and acreage devoted to organic farming steadily increasing. However, new consumers, whose purchasing power continues to decline, are becoming increasingly rare, and the context is extremely difficult for specialist stores, which sell only organic products. Indeed, after more than a decade of proliferation of this type of store, 2022 was the first year to see a reduction in their numbers nationwide.

One of the market trends is the emphasis on the absence of intermediaries. Consumers want direct access to products, and some startups are enjoying great success by offering a direct link between producers and end consumers. Home-delivered organic baskets thus appear to represent a strong growth potential for the market.

1.2 A booming global market

The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (***) published the **ᵉ edition of"The World of Organic Agriculture" study in ****. This study gives us an overview of the global organic farming market, within which fruit and vegetables occupy a significant share.

In ****, the global organic farming market will amount to ***.* billion euros, an increase ...

1.3 The French market: a leading market that is slowing down

As mentioned in the world section, (***), confirming the market decline set in motion in **** after continuous growth since its inception [***].

Within organic food, the market share of organic fruit and vegetables was **.*% in ****[***]. This is the second-largest organic market behind groceries (***). As a result, the fruit and vegetable market is estimated ...

1.4 The European Union: a privileged trading partner

French production accounts for the largest share of French organic vegetable supplies (***).

French supplies of organic vegetables France, ****, € million Source: ****

For fruit, on the other hand, while France (***). This can be explained by the presence of exotic fruit in French consumption habits.

French supplies of organic fruit France, ****, € million Source: ****

However, ...

2.1 Growing demand for organic products in France

Agence Bio reports on a survey of French consumers of organic produce. This survey, which we'll use throughout this section, concerns all organic products, but it shows that **% of regular organic consumers (***) consume organic fruit and vegetables, so the more general results of this survey, reported here, remain very good indicators ...

2.2 Representation of organic products

Organic food is still not universally accepted, either in terms of price or quality.

Do you find it normal that an organic product should cost more than a non-organic one? France, ****, in Source: ****

We can see that **% of consumers questioned find it abnormal that an organic product is more expensive than ...

2.3 Motivations and barriers to organic consumption

The survey also reveals the main reasons why regular consumers of organic products start buying them. The positive impact on health (***).

What was the main reason that led you to consume organic products in the first place? France, ****, in % Source: ****

An interesting motivation to note that concerns **% of survey respondents is ...

2.4 Preferred consumption locations and the future of consumption

The survey asks organic consumers where they prefer to buy their products, by category. For fruit and vegetables, the preferred places of purchase are supermarkets and markets. We can see that there are few disparities between fruit and vegetables.

Where do you mainly buy organic fresh fruit and vegetables? France, ****, as ...

2.5 Typical profiles

According to theAgence Bio report, five consumer profiles stand out:

The hesitant (***): although these individuals consume little organic produce, they nevertheless have a positive image of organic farming. However, they are not particularly attentive to the effects of food on health, and are not actively involved in the dietary transition. They ...

3.1 Organic players in France

In France, the organic sector can be divided into three main categories:

Producers (***); Processors; Distributors (***).

The surface area devoted to organic fruit and vegetable production has been rising steadily for several years, although this increase has slowed sharply since ****.

growth in organic or in-conversion acreage France, **** - ****, in hectares Source: ****

We ...

3.2 Producers and areas devoted to organic fruit and vegetables by region

All organic producers have to go through a conversion phase, during which they gradually transform their acreage by becoming more and more involved in organic farming. For the purposes of this study, we consider organic producers as a whole, which means that those undergoing conversion are also taken into account. For ...

3.3 Distribution of organic fruit and vegetables

From the grower's point of view, organic fruit and vegetable distribution in France can be achieved in two different ways:

Direct sales: by the grower himself; Short-line sales: sales to an intermediary, possibly without the grower being present at the time of sale.

Source: ****

More generally, in household distribution, the distribution ...

4.1 Typology of prices for the main organic fruits and vegetables, and differences with conventional agriculture

Every year, the Familles rurales association conducts a survey on the price and consumption of fruit and vegetables in France. TheObservatoire du prix des fruits et légumes à l'été **** provides us with very precise information, some of which will be relayed in this section.

Organic fruit prices:

The table below ...

4.2 Supply trends: towards a direct link between producers and consumers

Within the organic fruit and vegetable offer, in the wake of a global desire to eat more healthily and locally, a trend has been emerging in recent years: that of home deliveries of baskets of fresh fruit and vegetables. On January **, ****, for example, Carrefour acquired Lyon-based startup Potager City, which has ...

5.1 General regulations

We won't go into detail about the regulations that apply more generally to the sale of fruit and vegetables: you can find them summarized here biolinéaires.com. Below, we report on the rules specific to the production and trade of organic produce.

A new European regulation (***) ****/***, applicable from January *ᵉʳ ****, specifies ...

5.2 Regulations for retail distribution

Notification obligation

In France, all organic operators must notify their activities to Agence Bio. Agence Bio is the public interest group in charge of developing and promoting organic farming. You need to fill in the notification form. The procedure has been permanent since ****. Notification is free of charge. The only exception ...

5.3 Official labels

To ensure product traceability, two official labels exist in addition to controls:

The AB logo : This is the French label. It was created by the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. This label certifies that a product contains at least **% certified organic agricultural ingredients. The French AB logo is optional. The ...

6. Segmentation

• Bio c' Bon
• Biocoop
• Naturalia
• La vie Claire
• Olga Groupe (Triballat Noyal)
• Agrial Coopérative Primeal
• Priméale Agrial
• Markal
• Ekibio Priméal
• Ekibio (Groupe Lea Biodiversité)
• Carrefour Groupe
• Auchan groupe
• E.Leclerc
• Casino Groupe
• Les Commis
• Potager City
• Côteaux Nantais
• La Fourche
• Pomona Groupe
• Le Saint Réseau