Spain: Domestic market demands more processed organic food
Domestic consumption of organic food will continue to rise in Spain, following the trend of recent years. The increased demand for processed products is increasingly significant.
As stated by industry experts, organic foodstuffs are increasingly frequent in the shopping basket of the Spaniards and, although Spain is a large producer and exporter, there has been an increase in imports to meet the increased demand for processed foods.
According to the latest report published by the Ministry of Agriculture, with figures from 2016 (the latest official available), imports have grown faster than exports.
While exports have increased by 51% between 2012 (€590 million) and 2016 (€891 million), in the same period, imports have multiply by three, from €201 million to €596 million.
Experts explain this “imbalance” is due to the increase of domestic demand showing there is still “a lack of an important manufacturing industry keeping the pace with the increase in domestic consumption that is occurring”.
More than 70% of Spanish organic exports correspond to vegetables, wines and olive oil, most of which are unprocessed or bulk raw materials, while imports correspond to processed products, “more expensive and with higher added value”.
Among the imported organic food which are predominant in the Spanish basket are baby and diet foods, cereal and soy derivatives, seeds, pasta, condiments, sauces and spices, dairy products.
Source: Efeagro.com