Already the German figures published in the beginning of february did indicate, that there had been significant plus of consumption in 2016, not only growth due to higher prices of several raw material. And now France is able to top this develpment: 21% is the oficial forecast of the French national organic agency and a total turnover of 7 billion Euro organic sales in France. Looking at the sales channels we recognize a significant difference betweeen France and Germany. In Germany  the conventional retail-chaines are always the top-player in organic sales, perhaps with the Germany special that there exist drug markets delivering also the basics of organic food and part of organic sales up to 10 % – but also the discount efforts.  In France the recent growth is fairly devided between specialist shops and the big retail chaines, which may-be due to the fact, that french specialist-shop are organized in quite modern organic chains, having more

power to the consumers than their German counterparts with less development like this. Since Alnatura – as one of the leading organic players – had to put a lot of energy to retail activities.

Regarding the organic products, consumer do prefer the European market is closely together: Fruit and vegetables first and then milk-prodcts and eggs are the leading categories in the ranking. Looking at the consumers we also see that they prefer organic products close to their region, that they want healthy food.

But this positive development also has another side. Combined with the huge organic growth in the American market we have to ask more the question where all the basic of organic nutrition shall come from. On the one hand there should be the plan to develop close-to-customers organic resources like for example France does. But on the other hand the further development is part of a global scenery of development: we already need desperately the easter European ressources. What about the development in Ukraine? What about the relationships to Turkey? Not to talk about typical regions of crises and instability.

Apart of these questions we see a growing demand of high protein-products, low-card-ingredient, low-gluten and gluten-free-products and a tendency towards all these free-from una vegan nutritution ideas. At the moment organic consumers are willing and able to spend a lot on these isseues.