According to the German Association for Consumer Research, during the first three months of the coronavirus crisis, the demand for organic goods rose significantly faster than the overall increase in the purchase of food items. The information portal “Ökolandbau” (organic farming) also recorded a record number of sales of organic food items during this three-month period, particularly in the sale of organic boxes with fresh produce.

Similarly, a study by the AMM institute for market research found that 30 percent of participants had increased their purchases of organic goods during the pandemic. Participants attributed this change in behavior to their desire to support regional farmers during the coronavirus crisis. Furthermore, with vacations and expensive meals at restaurants off the table, many consumers had money left over that could be put towards buying higher-end groceries. According to Dario Sarmadi, spokesman for the consumer organization Foodwatch, however, what consumers may want to consider is that an organic classification by no means signifies a regionally-produced food item.

Due to the increase in demand for organic goods, the amount of land in Germany devoted to the growing of organic produce is increasing. According to the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, in 2019, the amount of organic farmland in Germany increased by around 116,000 hectares. That brought the total amount of land for growing organic produce to 1.6 million hectares, which represents 9.7 percent of all agricultural land in Germany.

The purchase of organic produce has been on the rise for many years now. According to the German Organic Food Production Alliance, the revenue commercial supermarkets made from organic food and drinks in 2019 increased by 11.4 percent from the previous year, bringing the total revenue to over 7 billion euros. If consumption patterns continue on their current trajectory, the future is certainly bright for organic farmers.