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Summary of our market study
The French organic fruit and vegetable market is worth between 11.5 and 13 billion euros.
Worldwide, the market is dominated by the United States, with a share of over 39%, while France ranks third behind Germany. The organic farming market was valued at 124.8 billion euros in 2021, continuing to grow at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 8.83%.
In France, the surface area dedicated to organic production and the number of organic producers continued to rise, with contributions from regions such as Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie.
Specialized stores remain important players in the market, despite a difficult 2022 with falling sales, such as Biocoop at -5.6% and Naturalia at -7.8%.
Startups that promote a direct link between producers and consumers, such as Potager City and Les Commis.
Regulations have also been updated, with the EU tightening organic production rules with Regulation (EU) 2018/848 from 2022.
Trends in the organic produce sector
Organic fruit and vegetables represent a significant segment of the global organic food market, and France stands out as one of the main contributors in this field. French producers and the surface area devoted to organic farming have grown steadily.
However, the French organic fruit and vegetable market is experiencing a slowdown for the first time in over ten years.
The French market has reached a value of between 11.5 and 13 billion euros, down slightly. Organic fruit and vegetables account for around 15-20% of this market, second only to groceries.
Specialized stores lead the way in organic produce sales, with a market share of over 40%. This is followed by general supermarkets, with over 30%, then direct sales, which account for around 25% of the market.
Organic food accounts for around 6% of the French diet.
Over 70% of regular organic consumers frequently include organic fruit and vegetables in their diet.
However, the percentage of the population consuming organic produce every month has fallen by more than 15 points due to the sharp rise in organic food prices experienced by almost 60% of consumers.
Start-ups such as Potager City and Les Commis, which operate thanks to new trends aimed at bridging the gap between producers and end consumers, have achieved success by moving into direct delivery services.
The main players in the organic fruit and vegetable market:
- Biocoop stands out for its significant presence thanks to its cooperative network of independent stores.
- Naturalia positions itself as a supplier of organic, vegan and natural products, with a network of some 245 stores across France.
- Bio c' Bon brings the organic lifestyle closer to urban consumers, with over 100 stores
- La Vie Claire is another big name in the market, with almost 400 stores.
- Innovative startups such as Les Commis and Potager City are emerging
- Commis delivers recipe boxes with all organic ingredients
- Potager City delivers home baskets of fruit and vegetables
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
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 Demand analysis
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 Market structure
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 Offer analysis
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 Regulations
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 Positioning the players
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
List of charts presented in this market study
- Breakdown of farmland used for organic farming by continent
- The 10 countries with the largest surface area devoted to organic farming
- International market share by country, by value
- Size of the organic fruit and vegetable market in France
- French supplies of organic vegetables
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Latest news
Auchan faces another "difficult" year in 2023 - 22/02/2024
- -Auchan net loss in 2023: 379 million euros
- - Previous year's profit: 33 million euros
- - Auchan's position in the French retail sector: 5th
- - Revenue in 2023: down 1.7% to 32.9 billion euros
- - Share of hypermarkets in Auchan's store base: 21%
- - Acquisition of Casino stores by Auchan and Intermarché: 70 supermarkets, 26 hypermarkets, including five larger than 9,000 m2, and two drives
Casino: Intermarché and Auchan win the bid - 18/12/2023
- Casino: Intermarché, which had joined forces with Auchan to buy the 320 stores, finally won the bid.
- The value of the transaction would be close to 1.6 billion euros, or 37% of the sales taken over (3.6 billion euros).
- A social issue
- In addition to the takeover of dozens of supermarkets and hypermarkets, Carrefour PROPOSED to take over 7,000 convenience stores under the Petit Casino, Vival and other banners. This possibility was rejected by Casino and its receivers
- Intermarché has opened up its internal rules for independent groups to franchising, to accommodate the 60 Casino franchisees.
- Intermarché and Auchan will share the 313 outlets sold in roughly equal parts, with Auchan taking over almost all of the 42 hypermarkets.
- Monoprix and Franprix will remain under Groupe Casino control
Auchan: New Beginnings - 06/12/2023
- Gérard Mulliez founded Auchan in 1961.
- Auchan hypermarkets account for 80% of the company's sales.
- Auchan's market share has fallen from over 10% five years ago to 8.4% today.
- Failed attempt by the Mulliez family to take over Carrefour in October 2021.
- Auchan and Intermarché are looking to form a product purchasing alliance, which would give them a combined market share of 30%.
- Auchan and Intermarché have been trying to share nearly 300 hypers and supermarkets that Casino is due to sell.
80 Carrefour hypermarkets operated under franchise or leasing agreements - 14/11/2023
- On October 20, Carrefour announced its intention to switch 37 stores (comprising 15 hypermarkets and 21 supermarkets) to lease management.
- Since 2018, 80 hypermarkets have left integrated status, representing around a third of all hypermarkets.
- Around 75% of supermarkets (784 out of 1038) are currently leased or franchised.
Distribution: Biocoop capitalizes on its pricing strategy | Biocoop: a winning pricing strategy - 25/10/2023
- Biocoop's sales represent 43.8% of the market for specialist organic stores.
- Eight new Biocoop outlets have opened since the beginning of the year. Source: Circana.
Carrefour to lease out 37 stores - 21/10/2023
- Carrefour plans to lease out 37 new stores in 2022, 16 hypermarkets and 21 supermarkets.
- Around 4,000 employees affected
- The company launched an outsourcing program in 2018.
- The number announced is in line with previous years: 41 stores (including 16 hyper) in 2023, 43 stores (including 16 hyper) in 2022, and 47 stores (including 10 hyper) in 2021.
- Since Alexandre Bompard took over as CEO, 305 stores, including 80 hypermarkets, have been outsourced, affecting more than 23,000 employees.
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the organic fruits and vegetables market | France
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