<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal align=justify><SPAN><FONT size=2><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica">Consumption of organic products in Italy continues to grow: this is the market trend following the data presented at SANA (Bologna) by ISMEA <STRONG>-</STRONG> Istituto di Servizi per il Mercato Agricolo Alimentare<SPAN><STRONG>.</STRONG> The purchase of packed organic products grew by 9% in the 1<SUP>st</SUP> <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>semester 2010, strengthening the positive dynamics of the last years (+6.9% the variation 2009/2008, +5.2% 2008/2009). The products recording a positive trend in the reported period and in 2009 are: fresh and processed fruit and vegetables <STRONG>(</STRONG>+26.6% the <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>var. 2009/2008, +0.9% the <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>var. 1st semester 2010 / 1<SUP>st</SUP> sem.2009), drinks (+5.7% in both periods), eggs (+21.8%, +8%), honey (+14%, +13.7%), bread and substitutes (+8.7%, +19.2%), sausages ( +91.2%, +20.4%).<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal align=justify><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: " lang=EN-US mso-ansi-language: FONT-SIZE: #242816; COLOR: Arial?,?sans-serif?; EN-US? 12pt;><FONT size=2><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica">In spite of a negative trend in 2009, other products did record a positive trend in the 1<SUP>st</SUP> sem. 2010: diary products (+11.2%), products for breakfast (+17.3%), baby products (+31.1%), vegetable oils (+9.9%), pasta and wine (+7.9%).<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal align=justify><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: " lang=EN-US mso-ansi-language: FONT-SIZE: #242816; COLOR: Arial?,?sans-serif?; EN-US? 12pt;><FONT size=2><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica">The “Top Ten” of the most requested organic products in 2009 and in the 1<SUP>st</SUP> sem. 2010 includes, in the first place, eggs, followed by fresh milk and yogurt. ISMEA indicates that the good trend in purchase in 2010 can be ascribed to the average reduction of the consumer prices (-2.3% on the 1<SUP>st</SUP> sem. 2009). Concerning the marketing channel, ISMEA indicates (the Institute did not collect <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>data related to the specialized shops) the purchases growing trend in the hypermarkets (+16.9%), while the supermarkets have lost 3.2% and the traditional shops, after a loss of 30% in 2009, did show in 2010 an increase of 48.6%, even if the value of purchases in such a channel is limited.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal align=justify><FONT size=2><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica"><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: " lang=EN-US mso-ansi-language: FONT-SIZE: #242816; COLOR: Arial?,?sans-serif?; EN-US? 12pt;>Finally, organic purchases in Italy by geographic area during the 1<SUP>st</SUP> sem. 2010 showed a constant <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>increase, following ISMEA’s survey, in the North-West and North-East Regions (respectively + 6.3% and +10.6%) on the 1<SUP>st</SUP> sem. 2009. The southern Regions, whose negative trend in 2009 reached </SPAN><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: " lang=EN-US mso-ansi-language: FONT-SIZE: #242816; COLOR: Arial?,?sans-serif?; EN-US? 12pt;>-11.5%, did in 2010 show a positive comeback (+20.9%), while the Central Italy Regions, including Sardinia, slightly decreased from 16.9% (2009) to 8.2% (2010).</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class=MsoNormal align=justify><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: " lang=EN-US mso-ansi-language: FONT-SIZE: #242816; COLOR: Arial?,?sans-serif?; EN-US? 12pt;><FONT size=2 face="Arial, Helvetica">For more information, we include the ISMEA Report (in Italian).</FONT></SPAN></P>
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