Domestic consumption of organic food in Italy registers further growth, +11% in the GDO (large-scale retail trade) channel, +4.4% the total sales that reached a record 3.3 billion euros (June 2020). + 180% in ten years (!).
ISMEA’s report ‘Organic in Figures 2020’ was presented along with the annual SINAB (National Information System on Organic Agriculture) report at the meeting organized by Coldiretti on 1.10.20.
Democratization of organic, the role of large-scale retail trade
During the lockdown imposed by Covid, organic food sales in supermarkets grew by double digits (+11%). A figure that confirms the growing awareness of the value of organic foods for health and the immune system, as noted.
Retail has finally taken a leading role in the democratization of organic, which we have been calling for for years. Continued proximity to consumAtors has thus enabled modern distribution to intercept their demands-most recently attested to in the Coop 12.9.20 and the 2019 Immagino Observatory (GS1-Italy) reports-and expand the supply of the greenest products.
Fresh is the biggest news. With the triumph of organic eggs, whose sales soar (+9.7 percent). And vegetables, which in turn recorded a jump in sales (+7.2 percent). A success for all supply chain operators, bringing the Italian food system closer to the goals set forth in the Bio 2030 Manifesto, introduced at the SANA fair on 6-9.9.19.
Italian but also imported organic grows
Italy is confirmed as the leading European country in 2019 in terms of the number of certified organic farms. A figure consistent with the extreme fragmentation of our production chain but also, and above all, with the Bel Paese’s European leadership in value added in agriculture. There are 80,643 certified operators (+2%) and the area under organic cultivation is now close to 2 million hectares +2% compared to 2018, +79% compared to 2010.
Imports of organic products from outside the EU are also increasing, with an overall increase of 13.1 percent. The wing blow is 35.2 percent for industrial crops, destined for the processing industry (sugar plants, textiles, oil crops, spices and herbs). Cereals and the category grouping coffee, cocoa, sugars, tea and spices grew 16.9 percent and 22.8 percent, respectively.
More controls on imports
Sourcing on non-EU markets, according to Coldiretti, could be scaled back to benefit domestic production by tightening the screws of official public controls. Specifically, making the entry of goods subject not only to documentary checks but also to physical inspections and analytical checks.
‘Italy is one of the largest importers of organic food from non-EU countries from where as many as 210 thousand tons arrived in 2019, almost 1/3 of which came from Asia. The recommendation of the European Court of Auditors to strengthen controls on imported organic products that do not meet the same safety standards as European ones should be followed up as soon as possible’ (Ettore Prandini, president of Coldiretti).
Italian Bio Pride
The marked tendency of Italians toward Made-in-Italy food production should therefore act as a driving force behind the growth of homegrown organic. And the growing focus on organic should in turn allow for a more equitable redistribution of value in favor of farmers who can seize the opportunities.
‘Promoting the use of certified Italian raw material by reducing import volumes may also provide an additional growth stimulus to the sector and contribute to the achievement of the 25 percent target of area planted with organic crops outlined in the Farm to Fork strategy, one of the pillars of the New Green Deal. An opportunity not to be missed, given also the boom in demand for 100% Italian product that we have witnessed in recent years’ (Raffaele Borriello, director general of Ismea).
Organic Consolidation Act, finally on its way
Stringent rules and thorough import controls are essential to protect Italian organic. Additional impetus may come from the Organic Consolidation Act, which Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova indicates is now being approved in the Senate.
‘All our agribusiness rests on, and is rooted in, distinctiveness and quality excellence, and organic must be one of the spearheads, with a view to protecting the environment and biodiversity. If we lower the bar of rules, if we reduce the strictness of control on organic we do a favor to the competitors of our companies and we damage the whole Italian agri-food system (…) If someone in Europe thinks of increasing the areas under organic by lowering the level of rules, so that everything becomes organic, we will not stand for it’ (Teresa Bellanova, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry).
FederBio’s applause and demands.
FederBio is the national federation that has united and represented almost all organizations operating in organic and biodynamic agriculture supply chains since 1992. From seed to fork and from feed to fork, it is joined by major players in organic production, distribution, certification, standardization and protection of the interests of organic operators and technicians. With the aim of protecting and promoting its development, including internationally. In fact, FederBio is a member of IFOAM, the organization that has brought together more than 100 regional organizations and organic sector platforms since 1972. As well as to ACCREDIA, the Italian body for the accreditation of certification bodies.
Maria Grazia Mammuccini, its president, celebrates the results and renews calls for the development of the organic system in Italy. With attention to the strategies presented by the European Commission between December 2019 and May 2020. Green New Deal, Farm to Fork (f2f), but also.
Biodiversity
. These must receive adequate support in the new CAP (Common Agricultural Policy), under the banner of an ecological transition that must translate into concrete aid to its protagonists.
‘The numbers presented show that the trend among citizens is increasingly toward organic food. We must therefore support with concrete initiatives and a consistent legislative framework the conversion to true organic. The risk is that the strong demand of Italian consumers will be covered by imported organic products to the detriment of organic Made in Italy, while we need to strengthen agricultural producers in our country through the development of ethical supply chains based on the principle of “fair price.”
At this time historical time when Europe, with the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork and biodiversity strategies, is focusing strongly on organic, Italy cannot afford to miss the opportunity to accelerate the transition path to the organic model and lose its leading role as number of operators.
The push for organic coming from Coldiretti today represents an important point for the sector, and the ‘Organic Revolution’ event to be held on October 9, 2020, the opening day of SANA RESTART, will be a key moment of dialogue for the entire organic system. Above all, it will be an opportunity for discussion with institutions, all the organizations of the agricultural world in the presence of Minister Bellanova to field the best ideas and strategic projects to spread organic production creating concrete opportunities for the rural territory and for the new generations.
We are very pleased that Minister Bellanova also highlighted organic as a key driver for agroecological development, hoping that the final approval of the organic law will take place already in the coming months”
(Maria Grazia Mammuccini, President of FederBio).
Farmer agroecology, more than 10 years waiting for a law
Peasant agriculture, it is worth noting, continues to receive little consideration. Microscopic and family businesses dedicated to eco-agriculture have so far been effectively excluded from European subsidies. And for more than 10 years they have been waiting for a framework law aimed at enhancing their essential role in the society and economy of the territories, as well as their preservation.
LiberiAgricoltori
and Assorurale represent several tens of thousands of farmers, throughout Italy. Who have been fighting for a couple of decades, in conjunction with the global coordination of La Via Campesina, for the recognition of the universal rights of peasants and rural communities. Rights proclaimed by the UN General Assembly, 17.11.18, and still lacking concrete implementation. For food sovereignty and respect for workers’ dignity, biodiversity and protection of ecosystems, and short and fair supply chain.
The time has come for the Italian Parliament to pass the bill that has already garnered the consensus of the political parties, but has not garnered their effective interest. The protection of peasant and ecological agriculture cannot wait any longer and must in turn find its place in the aid scheme. Under the auspices of the recent FAO Decalogue for Agroecology. Not forgetting the principle of equality, which ranks 10th among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As well as in the Constitution of the Italian Republic (Article 3), to this day founded on labor.
Dario Dongo and Marta Strinati
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
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