Arla Foods has announced its aim grow its organic business from 180 million to 270 million litres by 2026, an expansion of 50 per cent.
The move follows the recent surge in organic food and drink sales which has seen the sector develop into one of the strongest grocery categories during 2021.
According to the dairy Co-op, sales have spiked by 9.4 per cent as opposed to a 5.6 per cent growth for non-organic categories.
Arla UK managing director Ash Amirahmadi said that there is currently “big potential” for organic products across the UK, and claimed “more and more British consumers are turning to organic food.”
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The company is also set to implement the dairy Co-op’s new organic 2.0 criteria starting from January 2022, which will cover soil health, climate protection, animal welfare and biodiversity.
The producer will switch to 100 per cent green energy and reduce its carbon emissions by 30 per cent per kilogram of milk by 2028, two years before the Co-op’s 2030 deadline for ordinary farms.
It will also self-assess and register farm biodiversity activities on a yearly basis to generate data, alongside collecting soil samples to set a baseline for levels of soil carbon.
The company confirmed that it will implement the entire list of measures within the next year in line with the company’s environmental standards.
“Just like in other parts of Europe, we believe the trend of organic dairy will continue to grow in the UK,” Amirahmadi said.
“Arla farmers have significantly increased work on farms around biodiversity, reducing carbon emissions and improving animal welfare.
“Historically, organic farmers have often been the ones to establish new practices in these areas, and with these revised standards, they are once again forging new paths.”
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