Bord Bia has today (Wednesday, July 13) announced a collaboration with major Irish retailers to raise awareness of domestic organic produce.
The state agency has developed digital and in-store materials as part of the Organics from Ireland campaign to help retailers promote Irish organic beef, lamb, dairy, seafood, eggs, fresh produce and prepared consumer foods.
The campaign will appear in-store across Tesco, SuperValu and on Aldi and Lidl social media channels from July to September.
Commenting on the launch of the partnership, Fiona Twomey, Bord Bia retail specialist said:
“We have some wonderful organic producers in Ireland and we’re pleased to be able to support their growth through this retail partnership.
“Organically produced food is highly trusted by Irish consumers, however, Bord Bia research conducted last year found that when faced with a choice between organic and local, over 66% of Irish shoppers have a preference for local.
“Based upon this insight, Bord Bia initiated this pilot project to raise awareness among consumers of the availability of organic food from Ireland so that they can choose both organic and local,” Twomey explained.
Following the completion of the campaign, it will be evaluated with a view to running similar promotions in the future.
Organic farming
Currently, 1.6% of land in Ireland is organically farmed, however, under the government’s Food Vision 2030 strategy, it is hoped to grow this to 7.5% by the end of the decade.
Bord Bia research shows that the greatest opportunity for growth in the organic market is through the retail channel where sales have increased by almost a fifth since 2019.
According to Kantar, retail sales of organic food products were valued at €221 million in the year up to the end of October 2021; up 2.7% from 2020.
Later this month, there will be a ministerial-led trade mission to Germany which will coincide with BIOFACH, the world’s leading trade fair for organic food.
Bord Bia will host the Origin Green Ireland stand at the event which is taking place from July 26- 29.
The agency is also running several consumer campaigns to promote Irish organic produce in continental Europe.
In October, Bord Bia will host the biennial organic awards in association with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), which celebrates Irish organic food and drink growers, producers, and manufacturers.