Organic food products cope with the crisis rather well

Market researchers say that in most countries the crisis did not decrease the demand for organic products. However, Hungarian retailers say the growth has stopped. In Europe’s leading ‘organic states’ consumption expanded by 20-30 percent in the last couple of years, while in Hungary the expansion was around 10 percent. In Hungary, organic products only have a 0.5 percent share in food consumption. According Péter Roszik, the managing director of Biokontroll Hungária Nonprofit Kft., a controlling and certifying company, two years ago only 120,000 hectares of land were used for organic production in Hungary. SPAR’s communications director, Zsuzsa Laber told our magazine that Kaiser’s and SPAR stores sold more than 300 different organic food products, half of which were private label products. They mostly buy from Hungarian producers and distributors. Their Natur Bio product family appeared in shops in 2005. The prices of SPAR’s top quality organic products are not much higher than those of ordinary private label products. SPAR Vital is a product family that was developed with help from physicians and nutrition specialists; Free From is a private label product range for lactose- and gluten-sensitive consumers. With more than 300 products, Biopont Kft. is a market leader in Hungary among organic and reform food products. Commercial director Sándor Kökényesi is of the opinion that constant innovation is the key to their success. The new, more modern packaging of Biopont products uses folkloristic patterns as well – buyers responded positively to the new design. Biopont’s wide portfolio offers a healthy alternative in practically all product groups.