The Organic Boom

What specific products are getting the boost from consumers?

It’s a golden age for Organics!  According to the Organic Trade Association’s 2014 Organic Industry Survey, organic products tallied $35.1 billion in U.S. sales, up nearly 11.5% in 2013. The study, conducted and produced by Nutrition Business Journal, also projected that “growth rates over the next two years will at least keep pace with the 2013 clip and even slightly exceed it.”

And there’s more research to show that organics are growing. In its United States Organic Food Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018 report, TechSci Research predicts that organic food sales will grow at about a 14% compound annual growth rate between 2013 and 2018.  It notes the U.S. is home to about 17,750 organic farms, and cites OTA 2012 estimates that 8 out of 10 U.S. parents reportedly purchase organic food. 

For those who thought organics may have been a passing trend, they’re wrong.  More and more consumers are focusing on eating well. According to Laura Batcha, executive director and CEO of OTA Organic food and farming continue to gain in popularity as “consumers are making the correlation between what we eat and our health”. 

What specific products are getting the boost from consumers? Well, according to the study: 

* Produce: Organic fruit and vegetable sales rose 15% to $11.6 billion in 2013, with organics now accounting for more than 10% of the nation’s fruit and vegetable sales.

* There was also several products up by double-digits-  organic condiments, organic snack foods, organic breads and grains, organic meat/poultry/fish, and organic packaged and prepared foods 

This study is a reminder that consumers are focusing on health and products and stores that similarly make healthy options a priority will do well with shoppers.