IN recent years, it has been England that has led the way in the organic food market.

But fuelled by interest from so-called "Millennials" – young people interested in the farm-to-fork journey – Scotland has witnessed a boom in sales of organic produce.

Scottish Government statistics show that sales of organic products north of the border grew by 19.4 per cent in the year to February 2017, outstripping growth in England and Wales. Annual sales are now at £63.5 million.

Alison Muirhead, from the Soil Association Scotland, the UK’s leading food and farming charity, said: “The rise in organic sales in the past year has been phenomenal and a great boost for the organic sector.”

Some 82 per cent of Britons now buy some organic produce, including milk, tea, cereal, pasta, and meats.

The association has earmarked this month as Organic September, during which it is working with retailers and producers to host talks, demonstrations and tastings.

Clare McDermott, the Glasgow-born business development director of the Soil Association, said: “It’s only in the last two years that we have started to see growth in Scotland.

“Back in the 2008/09 recession, when retailers took organic produce off shelves to make way for discount lines, organic food probably virtually disappeared in Scotland.

“As they started to offer it again, and as local Scottish produce has become more important, organic food is making a real re-appearance in Scotland. Availability has increased and people are able to find organic food more easily.

“There’s also been a lot of growth in terms of Scottish organic businesses, and their products are getting more recognition and range display in independent retailers and also from farm shops and farmers’ markets.

“Millennials and younger shoppers in particular are taking a real interest in their food and where it comes from, and outlets like Whole Foods offer a wide range of organic produce.

“Many people across Scotland are also willing to travel in order to shop in different places."

The Scottish Government has its own organic action plan, which says that “environmental and societal benefits of organic food and farming are widely acknowledged by experts”. There is no comparable plan in England.

But the Soil Association also acknowledges that there are health benefits for consumers.

“Nutritional research published by Newcastle University in February 2016 found that organic milk and meat contain around 50 per cent more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than non-organic-produced products,” said Ms McDermott.

“Similar research two years earlier, on crops, showed there were significantly higher levels of anti-oxidants in organic compared to non-organic.

“There is evidence that organic food, particularly in those categories, is nutritionally more beneficial for people. And organic food also has fewer pesticides and no artificial colourings.”

The Soil Association says organic food is available across the UK in over 8,000 supermarkets, independent shops, box schemes, cafes and restaurants.

Tesco has the largest share of organic food amongst supermarkets.

Case study:

THE growing taste for all things organic has spread even to tartan.

New Lanark Wool & Textiles have launched what is described as the world’s first Organic Tartan certified by the Soil Association, made from 100 per cent organic wool from the Prince of Wales’s own flock of sheep near Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

In food terms, Pillars of Hercules is the only five-star rated organic restaurant in Scotland under the association’s new Organic Served Here award.

The operation, in Falkland, Fife, includes a cafe and bistro and farm shop.

Founder Bruce Bennett launched it 33 years ago.

“When we had the recession five years or so ago, demand plateaued out but over the past or five years, things have been on a steady increase again," he said.

On the growing demand for organic food, Mr Bennett said: “I think there’s a general awareness of the importance of good food and healthy eating now, and that has certainly helped us.

“Various studies [into organic food] have shown that positive benefits are that a lot of fruit and vegetables that are grown organically do have higher content of various minerals and trace elements, which have beneficial health effects. There’s also a lack of various pesticides and herbicides and so on.”

He added: “I think organic is the best way to farm, and the environmental benefits are well-proven, with no oil-based fertilisers and biocides. I think it just makes sense.”