With the increasing popularity of and high demand for organic food products, companies in the food and beverage industry adapt to market demands and establish new ways to cater to customers and remain competitive. Nowadays, no one still expects the growth of the organic food market to eventually slow down. At Kemin, our eye caught this phenomenon early on. Today, we have a range of top-quality organic certified and label-friendly products to help those food manufacturers, in any market segment, looking for organic shelf life and food safety solutions.
The Growing Organic Food Market
The European organic food sector continues to excel year after year, both in terms of organic production and market growth. Thanks to growing global environmental awareness, organic food products will continue their way into consumers’ shopping baskets. Considering the latest figures, as well as its market’s continuous growth over the years, the organic movement can look to the future with confidence.
The numbers
Data for 2020 shows the European organic food market recording significant growth – increasing by more than ten percent to 42 billion in retail sales. The largest contributing country to this market was Germany with €11 billion, followed by France (€10 billion) and Italy (€5 billion). The market for organic food products in Europe is about equal in size compared to its US counterpart.
The European market recorded a growth rate of 7.8 percent. Among the key markets, the highest growth was observed in France (15.4 percent). Over the last ten years, the value of the European organic market has more than doubled.
In general, European consumers spend more on organic food products. In Europe, consumers spend €50 on organic food products per person annually (European Union: 76 euros). Per capita consumer spending on organic food has doubled in the last decade. Danish and Swiss consumers have shown to spend the most money on organic food (€312 euros per capita in 2018).
Challenges
Even though the numbers are good, and its future looking bright, the organic sector is facing several challenges still. Manufacturers have to meet the required standards and regulations in order to sell their food products as ‘organic’.
Farm to table
No matter the industry or end-product, organic food supply chains rely on organic farming. This type of agriculture explicitly considers environmental impact and animal welfare. And even though the amount of organic farmland has doubled over the last couple of years, that still leaves us with approximately 7 percent of farmland worldwide. As organic farmers don’t use chemical pesticides, fertilisers and genetically modified organisms, and animals get more space to move around in, the number of organic farmers and suppliers able of meeting the industry’s demands remains limited.
Seasonality
For their food, consumers want the best quality, preferably year-round. But the seasonality of organic food crops makes it complicated for suppliers to meet supply chain demand. Companies will need multiple providers from different regions to source items for a single type of product, leading to high import costs. And while it’s possible to import organic food products, it doesn’t necessarily make them more sustainable - due to longer transportation routes.
Supply chain
Transporting organic food products and keeping them separate from non-organic produce is another, major challenge. Food manufacturers often offer both organic and non-organic food products but, due to regulations regarding organic food standards, are required to handle them separately and use different machinery for each step of the way. For many companies this results in significantly higher production costs.
Shelf life and food safety
Organic food-processing standards generally prohibit the use of synthetic chemicals, preservatives and other food additives widely used in the processing of conventional foods. Consumers of organic food have specific expectations regarding quality characteristics of processed food. Organic processed products should therefore fulfil consumers’ expectations as much as possible. Manufacturers can only make use of organic certified ingredients to extend the shelf life of their products and assure food safety.
The Kemin Way
What if we can increase a product’s shelf life without risking the loss of that precious ‘organic’ label? What if we can use an organic ingredient to maintain the sensory qualities of a product? And what if you were able to manufacture organic food products and extend shelf life, thus offering a product that’s both fresh and safe for consumption? Don’t risk loss of revenue and avoid food safety disasters with Kemin!
Kemin can help you solve your flavour and microbial challenges right here and offer application guidance throughout your entire supply chain. We can extend shelf life, while protecting colour, flavour, and safety of your organic products. Our mission? Keeping your food safe and fresh, for longer periods of time.
Whether it’s meat, poultry or fish, discover Kemin’s line of organic buffered vinegar and rosemary extracts.
FORTIUM® R30 OR Liquid or Dry is a natural organic certified rosemary extract. Rosemary extract has both flavouring and antioxidant properties. The ingredients in FORTIUM R30 OR delay lipid oxidation, increasing the shelf life of meat, poultry, fats, oils, snack foods and bakery products.
BactoCEASE® NV OR Liquid* is an organic buffered vinegar solution that can be added to organic food products. It’s a label-friendly, recognisable kitchen ingredient with a balanced flavour profile designed to protect meat, poultry and processed fish products as well as deli salads from spoilage bacteria. Moreover, BactoCEASE NV, which is made of natural ingredients, also extends the shelf life of those products.
Microbial spoilage is a key factor in the shelf life of a variety of protein rich food products. Testing has shown that vinegar-based ingredients protect Ready-to-Eat (RTE) foods and other processed meat, poultry, and fish products from spoilage bacteria.
*Product allowance and labelling may differ based upon government requirements. Certain statements may not be applicable in all geographical regions.
Reference; www.organic-world.net, survey 2020
