Consumers across the United States ate and used more organic products than ever before, according to the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA’s) 2017 Organic Industry Survey released Wednesday.
The American organic sector stayed on its upward trajectory in 2016, gaining new market share and shattering records.
“The organic industry continues to be a real bright spot in the food and ag economy both at the farm-gate and check-out counter,” said OTA’s CEO and Executive Director Laura Batcha.
Organic sales in the U.S. totaled around $47 billion in 2016, reflecting new sales of almost $3.7 billion from the previous year.
The $43 billion in organic food sales marked the first time the American organic food market has broken though the $40-billion mark.
Organic food now accounts for more than five percent of total food sales in this country, and increased by 8.4 percent, from the previous year.
The survey also showed that organic is creating jobs. More than 60 percent of all organic businesses reported an increase of full-time employment during 2016, and said they planned to continue boosting their full-time work staff in 2017.
“Organic farms, suppliers, and handlers are creating jobs across the country, and the organic sector is growing and creating the kinds of healthy, environmentally friendly products that consumers are increasingly demanding,” Batcha said.
The $15.6-billion organic fruits and vegetables sector held onto its position as the largest of the organic food categories, accounting for almost 40 percent of all organic food sales.
Organic fruits and vegetables now make up almost 15 percent of the produce that Americans eat.
Sales of organic protein-rich meat and poultry shot up by more than 17 percent in 2016 to $991 million, for the category’s biggest-ever yearly gain.
The OTA survey showed that today’s consumers aren’t just eating more organic, they’re also using more organic products in their wardrobes, their bedrooms, bathrooms and throughout their homes.
