organic produce exceeds 7 billion euros: Expensive energy and the fertilizer crisis cause the prices of conventional agriculture to skyrocket. Thus more natural food makes inroads into our consumption.
Paraphrasing a Broadway success, one could say: we are children of a greater bio. Never before has there been such a motivated attention to the quality and origin of food, despite the sharp rise in food prices. Organic from a niche market is gradually evolving into a consolidated consumption habit.
The observatory data says so Healthy curated by Nomisma: the organic turnover is constantly growing and reaches seven billion. If large-scale distribution is still the largest channel (half of the turnover comes from supermarkets), more and more restaurants and local shops are relying on organic products as “self-promotion” of the quality of the offer. Organic “away from home” is thus worth 1.35 billion. Secondly, three factors explain this Silvia Zucconi Of Nomisma And Maria Grazia Mammuccini Of Federbio: offering organic means placing yourself in a high-end market and becoming an actor of sustainability. Choices that for Fabio Brescacinpresident and creator of Nature Yesthe most important distributor and producer of organic foods in Italy with 350 sales points, 4 agricultural companies and a turnover exceeding five hundred million euros, are the paradigm of a life: as an agronomist and as an entrepreneur.
Organic and health: why the market soars despite inflation
«I am convinced that there is a decisive opportunity for the diffusion of organic products at this moment» he says. «The fertilizer crisis and high energy costs increase the costs and therefore the prices of what is obtained from conventional agriculture, therefore organic becomes competitive and can bring out its values».
Brescacinfor half a century now, has been one of the most convinced supporters of biodynamics and following the doctrines of Rudolf Steiner he believes a lot in the pedagogical function. With its commitment it gives rise to continuous consumer literacy in correct nutrition, agriculture according to nature, and agricultural value.
The environmental protection role of farmers
«I think we need to make the customer perceive the value of agricultural work» explains the president of NatureYes (who insists: don’t call us supermarkets), «we have created a communication campaign to explain the role of farmers in protecting and conserving biodiversity and the environment. They have the right to be remunerated for this service they do for everyone.” Cutting to the chase, if you ask why to buy organic and what are the advantages, Brescacin don’t get lost in chatter: organic and biodynamic agriculture in particular is the only activity that allows not to reduce emissions, but to absorb them, bringing the balance of the CO2 on the negative side, it is the only one that allows a balanced exploitation of the soil even with the recovery of uncultivated ones and it is the only one that places the consumer faced with conscious choices: seasonality, proximity, naturalness.
These are the three key words of well-being that translate into better and longer life expectancy and collective benefit because it does not burden the costs of the healthcare system. A very recent study by Aletheia – the Foundation led by Riccardo Fargione And Felice Adinolfi – established that «in Italy the economic impact attributable to obesity exceeds 13.3 billion euros per year, of which 59 percent for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and tumors; in Italy almost one in two adults is in a condition of “excess weight”, both those who are overweight (34.6 percent) and those who are in a more serious condition of obesity (11.8 percent)”.
Mediterranean diet and generational impact
This means that proposing eating styles closer to our famous and much betrayed Mediterranean diet with consumption of vegetables, vegetable proteins, extra virgin olive oil, few sugars, right amount of carbohydrates is the guiding indication. Better if all this comes from organic cultivation.
He confirms Fabio Brescacin: «We have noticed that families with small children and, where they have sufficient resources, the elderly are the most attentive organic consumers, unfortunately the young and very young have adopted risky eating habits. And it is a paradox because if on the one hand adolescents in particular indulge in ultra-processed foods which also create food addiction, on the other hand there are more and more young people who return to the land and spontaneously cultivate organically using to the maximum the technologies that allow to reduce irrigation, to avoid chemicals, to correctly dose the fertilization made with natural soil improvers which improve not the yield of the plant itself, but the fertility of the soil which is what interests us most. I say this as an agronomist” continues the president of NatureYes«from this point of view today agriculture, especially organic farming, is at the forefront of good technology and all this translates into product quality and consumer healthiness».
Food education and label transparency
An issue that mainly concerns children and adolescents. Not by chance Coldiretti And Italian supply chain they signed a protocol with the paediatricians from which the manifesto for correct nutrition was born.
Returning to the study of Aletheia it is found that “if twenty years ago the percentage of adolescents (14-19 years) who adequately consumed fruit and vegetables was equal to 14 percent, in 2024 it dropped to 11.2”. And yet, in line with what was also found by Brescacin that young families with young children have recovered more correct behaviour, it is highlighted that «children aged 3 to 13 who in 2005 ate fruit or vegetables adequately were just 8.7 percent, while today they are growing at 12.7» also thanks to better school catering given that three out of four children eat at least one meal at school which, if correct, becomes a “lesson” in eating well.
Which is also pedagogical for parents. There Coldirettiduring the food consumption day just gone by, released a figure: «91 percent of Italians ask for transparency on the origin of products». This places theEU the issue of import controls and origin labels. The French, set on Nutri-scorethe infamous traffic light label, propose the application “yuka” which on smartphones gives judgments on the healthiness of foods. Except that the scheme of the Nutri-score: fixed quantities, no distinction between ingredients. The Northern League member Mirko Carlonipresident of the Agriculture Commission of the Chamber, called it “yet another attack on Made in Italy carried out by multinational laboratory foods”. It’s okay, but as he says Brescacin: “If you eat according to nature, speculation has little to bite you.”
