Organic food sales soar in Sweden

In Sweden, sales of organic food produce have gone up by around 30 percent in one year.

Swedish stores are taking a lead internationally, with an average organic sales share of 4.3 percent in 2013. While that is significantly lower than in neighboring Denmark, where the corresponding figure is eight percent, last year's increase is probably the greatest in the world, Cajsa Ryegard, editor of the independent site Ekoweb, told newspaper Svenska Dagbladet on Sunday.

Jan Bertoft, director of the Swedish Consumers' Association, pointed out that store owners must actively promote organic produce.

"Shops have an enormous responsibility and can't simply sit back and wait for 'clearer purchasing signals' from consumers," he said. "They have to take the lead in promoting a sustainable development."

Swedish supermarket chain Coop Sverige regularly has special offers on organic produce as a way of pushing up sales and such campaigns may have contributed to last year's growth in sales.

Milk and eggs have long been best-sellers in the organic produce market in Sweden, and the share of sales for those products continues to grow. Endit