Italy’s organic food market approaches $7.5 billion as demand outpaces supply

Italy’s organic food market reached €6.9 billion (about USD 7.5 billion) in 2025, up 6.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the latest SANA Food/Nomisma report. Exports of Italian organic products rose to €3.9 billion (about USD 4.2 billion) in 2024, a 174% increase over the past decade. The data point to sustained momentum in both domestic and international demand, even as production struggles to keep pace.

Large retailers account for roughly 64 percent of organic sales, while specialized organic stores represent 20 percent and posted 7.5 percent year-over-year growth. In modern retail, organic products outperformed the broader food market in 2025, with value growth of 4.9 percent compared to 2.9 percent for total food sales. Still, only a quarter of retailers expanded shelf space for organic items by at least 2 percent, suggesting that growth is being driven more by faster turnover and wider household penetration than by expanded assortments. In 2025, 93 percent of Italy’s 24 million households purchased organic food at least once, though two-thirds of sales were concentrated among 20 percent of families.

Organic olive oil remains a niche within the category, accounting for 5.7 percent of extra virgin olive oil sales. In large-scale retail alone, organic extra virgin olive oil generated €70.5 million (about USD 76.5 million) in 2025. Producers cite higher production costs, certification requirements and lower yields as structural factors behind elevated prices. According to FederBio, demand is now expanding faster than domestic supply, raising concerns that growth could increasingly be met by imports unless Italian production scales accordingly. The association has backed a proposed “Organic Made in Italy” label aimed at strengthening traceability and consumer trust as the sector matures.