IKEA embraces organic ingredients

The group, the single largest Swedish food exporter, has started its project by launching organic coffee, followed by strawberry/ orange jam and blue cheese, reports öresund Food Excellence.​

This winter IKEA will launch organic schnapps, and the meat sauce that will be served at the Ikea restaurants will also be certified organic.

Organic food is taking off across Europe, driven by a multitude of reasons including environmental and food safety concerns, as well as a rejection of the ceaseless growth of mass food production.

Two years after the UK government, for example, launched an organic action plan for the entire food supply chain, the country has seen a 46 per cent rise in organic produce provided by UK farms.

At the beginning of 2004, about 4 per cent of UK farmland - 696,000 hectares - was under organic production, up from 30,000 hectares in 1993. The market is projected to grow by 9 per cent a year to 2007.

Overall, the EU organic market reached around €10 billion in 2002, according to data from UK market analysts Organic Monitor, but growth has slowed in recent years: an increase of 8 per cent between 2001 and 2002 shrunk to an estimated 5 per cent between 2002 and 2003.

According to the market researchers, dairy is one of the fastest growing organic categories, with 2004 sales up on the previous year by 12.5 per cent. Within the category, organic milk and yoghurt reported the highest levels of growth.

The introduction of organic dairy products under supermarket private labels has boosted sales growth, while future sales are tipped to be driven by scientific research into the health benefits of organic milk, and by a greater penetration into the foodservice and catering sector.