A £3.9 Billion Organic Food and Drink Market

The Soil Association’s 2026 Organic Market Report values UK organic food and drink sales at £3.9 billion in 2025, up 4.2% on 2024. This was the fourteenth consecutive year of growth in sales value. These are market estimates, distinct from Defra’s official statistics on organically managed land.

Understanding the organic food market is relevant for food professionals because it intersects with food labelling, certification obligations, consumer expectations, food fraud risk, and the growing consumer interest in food provenance and safety.

Key Facts & Figures (Overview)

  • £3.9 billion: UK organic food and drink sales value in 2025
  • 4.2% growth in that sales value from 2024
  • 14 consecutive years of organic market growth through 2025
  • £2.6 billion: UK supermarket organic sales in 2025
  • 7% growth in supermarket organic sales value in 2025
  • 55% of organic sales value came from eggs, milk, yogurt, fresh fruit, vegetables, salad and baby food
  • 540,000 hectares: UK land farmed organically, including conversion, in 2025
  • 7.3% increase in that land area from 2024
  • 461,000 hectares were fully organic
  • 79,000 hectares were in conversion to organic production
  • 3.2% of the UK agricultural area on holdings was organic or in conversion; common grazing is excluded from the denominator
  • 64% of organically farmed land was permanent pasture
  • 5,004 organic operators were recorded by Defra in 2025
  • 95% of agricultural ingredients generally need to be organic for a processed product to be labelled organic

What Does "Organic" Mean?

Organic is a regulated production and labelling claim. Great Britain and Northern Ireland have different legal arrangements, so businesses should use the guidance applicable to their activities and destination market.

Production: organic standards restrict fertilisers, pesticides, veterinary treatments and other inputs. They do not mean that every pesticide is prohibited or that residues are impossible.

Certification: businesses carrying out activities covered by organic controls need an approved control body. Some retail activities are exempt; check the precise activity rather than assuming every seller has the same certification duty.

Labelling: follow the applicable control-body code and origin rules. A certifier’s private logo is not universally mandatory, and use of the EU organic logo differs between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Processing: the organic description on a processed product normally requires at least 95% of its agricultural ingredients to be organic, alongside the other composition and certification rules.

Organic Food and Food Safety

Organic status describes production standards; it does not replace food hygiene, allergen management or other food safety duties. Organic and conventional foods both need controls appropriate to their hazards.

Specific food safety considerations in the organic sector include:

Contamination: use appropriate cleaning, separation, cooking and temperature controls. An organic label alone does not show that a food is free from pathogens.

Authenticity: verify suppliers and the scope and validity of organic certification, and retain traceability records for ingredients and finished products.

Pesticide residues: organic production restricts permitted inputs, but is not a guarantee of zero residues. HSE administers the UK pesticide-residue monitoring programme; this is distinct from organic certification.

Written by Food Safety Experts

This guide was produced by the team at Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate, a UK provider of RoSPA-approved online food hygiene training. Organic food businesses, catering operators using organic ingredients, and food handlers in any certified organic food service setting all have the same food safety obligations as any other food business — and the same need for properly trained food handlers holding a recognised food hygiene qualification.

Sources & References

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Mark McShane
Mark McShane
Food Safety Training Specialist, Online CPD Academy

Mark writes about food safety, food hygiene and accredited online training for Level 3 Food Hygiene Certificate, part of Online CPD Academy.