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EU organic sales decreased slightly in 2022, but rebounded in 2023 due to recovering economic conditions.

In 2022, Austrian organic sales reached $2.94 billion, a new high, and remain at a high level in 2023. Despite a difficult market environment with high inflation and a significantly increased cost of living, organic sales increased by over five percent compared to 2021.

The Bulgarian organic market continued to expand in 2022 with an estimated annual growth of 3.2 percent compared to 2021. The main driver behind the growth was the strong consumer focus on a healthier lifestyle and the perception that organic products are healthy and higher quality compared to conventional products.

The COVID-19 pandemic boosted organic food sales in the EU, enabling it to overtake the U.S. market in 2021. However, spiraling inflation combined with high food and energy prices will likely reduce organic food sales in most EU markets in 2022.

Germany is the second largest organic market in the world. It holds good prospects for U.S. organic products, including tree nuts, fruits, vegetables, and processed food products. While market growth slowed this year due to high inflation and rising...

After a record high in 2021 boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Austria’s organic sales remain at a high level in 2022. Austria is still one of the leading countries in organic production and consumption. Conventional supermarket chains are the most...

Bulgaria is a small but growing market for U.S. food and agricultural products. In 2021, total Bulgarian food and agricultural imports were valued at $6.13 billion, up 18 percent from 2020, of which 1.3 percent, or $80.13 million, were sourced from the United States. During the first eight months of 2022, total food and agricultural imports increased by 45.3 percent compared to the same period in 2021.

The Government of Bulgaria (GOB) continues to oppose agricultural biotechnology and supports anti-biotech policy initiatives within the European Commission (EC). Non-governmental anti-biotech organizations, local activists, and Bulgaria’s organics industry actively spread nonscientific disinformation about biotechnology.

This report provides an overview of EU food and feed legislation currently in force for the EU. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) staff reviewed and updated all sections of this annual report.

With more than 83 million of the world’s wealthiest consumers, Germany is the largest market for food and agricultural products in the European Union. The German market offers good opportunities for U.S. exporters of consumer-oriented food and agriculture products, particularly nuts, fish and seafood products, dried fruits, bakery products, and organic products.

U.S. exporters can find ample opportunities in the Iberian Peninsula. Spain is the third-largest European Union (EU) destination for U.S. agricultural products, with Portugal ranking 11th. In 2021, the United States exported $1.6 billion of agricultural products to Spain, or 15 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports to the EU. The United States held a 4 percent market share of Spain’s agricultural imports and 2 percent market share in Portugal, behind other EU member states as a group and Brazil.

New Zealand has strict biosecurity rules for plant and animal products but also imports large volumes of food and beverage products. This report outlines regulatory requirements for food and agricultural products exported to New Zealand. Key recent changes include regulations relating to organic foods, as well as the introduction of country-of-origin labeling for some products.