The Organic Collective Christmas marketplace has been launched to support organic growers and producers. The online market on the Soil Association's website features organic products including turkeys, veg boxes, food and drink, together with a range of Christmas essentials.

This new platform provides organic producers with a dedicated showcase for their products or farm shops and helps shoppers easily find, try and buy all they need for an organic Christmas.

Liz Bowles, head of farming at the Soil Association said: “As shoppers continue to prioritise their nutrition and food traceability, and with the organic market forecast to exceed £2.2 billion in sales by the year end, there’s no better time to celebrate organic than Christmas. As well as helping consumers find everything they need to be inspired about organic on the Christmas hub, we are also encouraging them to visit their local independent organic retailer, try a box scheme or visit a Farm Shop. For farmers, this is chance to connect with new customers and showcase their products.

“We now know that organic fruit, vegetables, meat and milk are nutritionally different from their non-organic counterparts, with organic fruit and vegetables containing up to 60% higher levels of key antioxidants [Newcastle University, British Journal of Nutrition, 2014]. Research for the European Parliament has also found that organic food can reduce risk of developing allergies and adult obesity [European Parliamentary Research Service, 2016]. All of this is good news, both for customers and for producers.”

The 'Organic September' campaign saw the organic market grow by 7.1% in the 30 days of September, up from an average of 4.2% to date in 2017 [Nielsen Scantrack].

Key growth in 'Organic September' saw butter sales nearly double, cheese sales rose by 15 per cent and meat, fish and poultry sales increased for 13 per cent.

For more information on getting organic products listed in the online marketplace email Niamh Noone, NNoone@soilassociation.org.