French Buy More Organic Fruit

LONDON - Sep 9/02 - SNS -- Interest in buying organically grown fruit continues to increase in France, with sales expected to jump 25.8% to € (euro) 54 million in 2002.

A new study by Organic Monitor (www.organicmonitor.com) shows that the organic fruit market is undeveloped compared to other sectors of the French organic food industry and healthy growth rates are envisaged to continue in the short term. The major drivers of growth are to be increasing retail penetration and broadening of organic fresh produce range in hypermarkets & supermarkets.

The findings showed that most sales of organic fruit occur from natural food shops, which held 53 percent market share in 2001. Few major retailers actively market organic fresh fruit and those that do have a limited product range. Direct sales are an important channel for French grown organic fresh fruit.

Apples and oranges have the largest market share in the organic fruit sector however the highest growth is expected to be in the tropical & exotic fruit category. The addition of organic exotic & tropical varieties to the fresh produce range of the major retailers is to fuel market growth.

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