Despite the unordinary year, the assortment of organic products grew in 2020: additional processed and new interesting products have appeared. In 2007, when the first organic products appeared in Ukrainian stores, the assortment included only groats and vegetables for borsch. At the moment, there are at least 15 categories of products — from fresh vegetables to frozen vareniki (boiled dough) with potato and meat.
According to calculations made by the Organic Ukraine Public Union, compared to 2019, in 2020, the number of processors of organic products grew as well as the number of operators that offer ready and packed products to consumers — there are 64 operators at the moment. These are the producers whose products can be found in stores. Of course, the highest demand for organic products comes from big cities and cities with more than 1 million residents, that’s why producers mainly focus on such cities.
Let’s try to check the Ukrainian organic basket and find out the current assortment of organic products.
According to the results of the internal market research in 2017-2019, dairy products are the leaders in sales, also groats and fresh products. In 2019, these 3 categories of products were estimated in UAH 470 million and their part on the Ukrainian organic market was 80%.
In the category of milk and dairy products, several new items appeared. First of all, it’s the line of lactose-free products, which is important for people that have digestive problems. Also, the recipes for some dairy products have been updated and the range of organic cheese has been extended.
In the category of cereal products, instant groats and muesli of Ukrainian production have appeared, before only imports were available. Also, the range of gluten-free products is extending, and besides groats, producers offer amaranth, peanut, chickpea, coconut and other flour. There are new interesting products for those who like sweets — mixes for muffins with different flavors that can be easily cooked at home.
The latest and the most wanted new production is the line of canned products that are coming to stores soon. It includes traditional for Ukrainians marinated cucumbers and tomatoes, sour cabbage, vegetable sauces, juices, adjika, zucchini saute and even canned soups.
But despite the extended range of organic products, representatives of retail chains complain about its lack. According to them, there are not enough fresh products, high-quality vegetables and fruits, and also organic products for children and vegetarians on the market. We are going to introduce all this year’s products and we keep following the evolution of the market.
Kateryna Shor, OrganicInfo.ua