A food market (also called a marketplace) is a physical or virtual place where different types of food and culinary products are bought and sold. Most of the time, the atmosphere is lively and bustling, vendors engage in lively sales pitches, and customers enjoy the tactile experience of examining the goods before they buy. The history of food markets in Europe goes back thousands of years and is long, complex and varied. They are an integral part of European societies and important centers for trade, commerce and social interaction. The development of food markets in Europe spans many historical periods, from ancient to modern times. Today the way organic food markets work influences many areas of society including: the economy, promoting sustainability, supporting farmers and local producers, promoting loyalty between producers and consumers in society and more. Although there have been cases of fraudulent and misleading labelling, EU law makes it important that organic products go through a certification process. On the other hand, conventional markets have the advantage of being able to produce larger and more consistent yields of food products. In 2018, 13.4 million hectares of land were farmed in the EU and four countries together (Spain, France, Italy, Germany) account for 55.5% of the total EU organic area. The aim of this review is to collect and present data on the role of food markets in the EU and to conduct a competitive analysis of the organic and conventional markets. The study concludes that both conventional and organic markets have their advantages and disadvantages, but also (as mentioned above) food markets are an integral part of European societies and a healthy, balanced society needs both suppliers that cater to the regulators respond.