French organics

On the tenth anniversary of Printemps Bio (Organic Spring), the French promotional event for organic products which takes place on 1-15 June, semi-public body Agence Bio announced in Paris that last year’s sales of organic products had risen by 25 per cent to €2.6bn.

According to the agency, the area of land dedicated to organics has risen from 210,000ha to 580,000ha in the last 10 years. The area under conversion reportedly increased by 36 per cent in 2008 alone.

The number of organic farms grew by 11 per cent, according to Agence Bio, which also expects the share of canteens using organic products, at least occasionally, to rise from the present 36 per cent to 71 per cent in 2012.