Soil Association seeks votes in annual BOOMs

Nominations are now open in the search for the UK’s best organic products.

With 12.6 per cent growth in 2020 and now worth £2.79bn, the organic market is undeniably booming and, as more people than ever look for the organic mark on their products, Soil Association Certification is keen to uncover the Nation’s Favourite organic product and celebrate it as part of the annual Best of Organic Market (BOOM) Awards.

In partnership with Ocado, Soil Association Certification is calling on the public to nominate their favourite organic products for Nation’s Favourite but is also encouraging organic brands to encourage their fans to nominate them in a bid to ensure a wide range of organic products are considered for this celebratory accolade.

In addition to crowning the Nation’s Favourite, the BOOM Awards will celebrate the businesses, producers and brands working hard to make food as it should be throughout the UK, as well as commending some of the best new products and organic innovators working towards a sustainable future for all of us. A brand-new award for 2021 is the Organic Ambassador Award, sponsored by Yeo Valley, which aims to recognise the work of those growing the organic movement, from food to fashion and farming, and championing organic as part of the solution to the climate crisis.

Nominations are open now and close on Friday (April 30, 2021), with a shortlist of 10 announced shortly after and the winner announced at a prestigious award ceremony in July.

Clare McDermott, Business Development Director at Soil Association Certification, commented: “Following a year in which both human health and the health of our planet have all been sharply in focus, consumers are choosing products more carefully than ever. By choosing to buy organic – whether that is food, beauty and wellbeing products or fashion and textiles – shoppers are making choices that help support more sustainable systems. Put simply, choosing organic means working with nature to protect soil, encourage wildlife, avoid antibiotics, and reduce pesticide use”.

Visit https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/boom-awards/the-nations-favourite/ to cast your vote.

Organic market hits highest growth in 15 years with 12.6 per cent hike

The UK’s organic market has reached its highest level of growth in 15 years, rising some 12.6 per cent to now be worth £2.79bn.

The impressive rise was revealed in the Soil Association’s Organic Market Report 2021, published today, which reported on the rise during the course of 2020.

The market has now reached its highest growth rate in 15 years, outperforming growth in the non-organic sector. This is the highest year on year growth rate in the organic market since 2005, with a 10th consecutive year of growth.

Other highlights in the report included:
• During 2020, more than £50m per week was spent on organic food and drink.
• The market is on target to reach £2.9bn by the end of 2021.
• Online and home delivery sales fuelled much of the growth in the organic market in 2020, with sales increasing by 36.2 per cent, meaning this channel to market accounts for almost 25 per cent of the total sales (supermarket online sales are included).
• Growth in the organic market was also reported across beauty and wellbeing and textiles. Sales of Soil Association Certification-certified beauty and wellbeing products grew by 13 per cent, to reach a total £120.2m in 2020. Sales of Soil Association Certification-certified organic textiles grew by nine per cent, to be worth £49.5m, despite a 20 per cent decline in global fashion sales in 2020.

Finn Cottle, Trade Consultant at Soil Association Certification, commented: “The unprecedented crisis of 2020 has brought immense challenges across the entire food supply chain – not least for organic businesses. So, it’s significant that in times of crisis, people are turning to organic products for the assurance of transparency, integrity and quality they provide. Organic is now rightfully recognised as the cornerstone of a resilient food and farming system and a vital part of the solution to the climate, nature and health crises.

“With the organic market growing faster than ever and expected to reach £2.9bn by the end of 2021, there is a huge opportunity for organic businesses to innovate and continue growing the market.”

The report also revealed that almost one in four organic products were purchased online in 2020, and the organic online and home delivery channel reached close to £500m, surpassing independent retailer sales for the first time.

Independent retailers faced mixed fortunes; whereas several city centre stores closed, high street and community stores experienced huge increases, with people choosing to shop locally. Overall, this amounted to a 0.9 per cent rise in the organic market through independent retail. Foodservice took a hit due to closures in the private sector, with an overall decline of 23.2 per cent, although sales of organic into public procurement continued at a stable level.

The organic market is now on track to reach £2.9bn by the end of 2021, with many new organic shoppers expected to remain loyal to the sector as they look to support a food and farming system that supports a safe climate, better biodiversity and improved health.

• Look out for the next issue for a detailed look at the report.

Coming soon! Bio360 Microbiotics

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Oat milk leads the plant-based milk revolution

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Driven by the prevailing trends for plant-based foods, health, and sustainability, and boosted by the Covid-19 pandemic, 62% of adults bought plant-based milk in the past year. With the survey by Harris Interactive recording that this increased to 81% of 25-34 year-olds. And it’s oat milk that is the undisputed star of this plant-based milk revolution, boasting an amazing 92% growth in the past year according to Kantar data, equivalent to over half of the additional £81.5m consumer spend on plant-based milk.

In its simplest form, oat milk is made from a mixture of oats and water, it contains a similar number of calories to cow’s milk, half the amount of protein and fat, and only natural sugars. Oat milk contains beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre that may help increase feelings of fullness and lower blood sugar levels after a meal. Beta-glucan has also been linked to lowering cholesterol levels, particularly LDL cholesterol, the type associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Tree of Life Oat Milk is available in 3 delicious varieties: Our Barista Oat Drink is specially crafted to perfectly froth, foam, and steam in coffee creations; our Enriched Oat Drink contains extra good stuff with added calcium & vitamins D, B2 & B12, it’s delicious splashed onto cereal, stirred into porridge, blended into smoothies or enjoyed by the glassful; and our Organic Oat Drink is certified by the Soil Association for our health and that of the planet.

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