Tomatoes from the Netherlands, cucumbers from Spain, bananas from Columbia and lentils from Canada – a stroll through the offering of organic foods in German supermarkets turns quickly into a culinary voyage around the world.

More than 18,000 tons of organic tomatoes alone were imported to Germany last year. Sales of organic products in 2011 rose nearly 10 percent. Local producers can't supply enough, and some don't even want to try: They've found another profitable area – supplying corn to biogas producers.

Potatoes, however, are an area still largely supplied by farmers in Germany whose produce accounts for 72 percent of sales. But without imports, organic food retailers in the country would struggle to fill their shelves.

"About 50 percent of our carrots are imported, and with peppers and tomatoes, the share is about 80 percent," Alexander Gerber, president of the organic food industry group BÖLW, told DW. "Milk, for instance, comes from Austria and Denmark, and pork from Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy."

In Germany, every fifth consumer shops for organic products at least once a week. German organic-food retailers meet this demand largely with products imported from other European markets. Eastern Europe is providing many of the grains.

'Controls are necessary'

But other products, like rice, coffee and bananas, come from Pakistan, Ecuador, Brazil and other places around the world. Logistics play a big role in preserving the quality of the products en route. And there are other requirements. "All steps, from production in the field to delivery in the stores, need to be controlled," Gerber said. "The controls are necessary to ensure product safety."

Suppliers that want to enter the German market all need to produce according to European organic food standards, which can prove challenging.

"We have global standards for fair trade but not for organic agriculture," said Markus Arbenz, executive director of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM). Every country, he adds, has its own organic food production standards.

Some countries, like Argentina, Costa Rica and India, have reached an agreement with the European Commission to simplify imports. And some that hope to break into organic food markets, such as China, face hefty criticism. Insiders say Chinese suppliers can simply purchase an organic food certification.

A producer from Italy, one of Germany's key import markets, is responsible for the biggest organic food scandal in recent years. The company exported products worth 220 million euros ($285 million) with false organic food certifications.

India is in the spotlight at this year's trade event in Nuremberg. The country, traditionally a big importer of organic tea, now hopes to export other products and capture a larger share of the booming organic food market in Germany, according to Asit Tripathy, president of India's Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority. "Organic cotton is in big demand in Europe," he told DW. "We are now concentrating on two areas: textiles and spices."

Last year, German consumers spent 6.5 billion euros ($8.5 billion) on organic products. To meet such demand, Germany will remain dependent on imports in the future.

Author: Matthias Rüd / jrb
Editor: Neil King