The second annual State of Organic Produce report was recently released by the Organic Produce Network (OPN). Working with strategic data analysis and insights company Category Partners, OPN provides a comprehensive overview of the industry in the report. OPN President and Co-founder, Matt Seeley said the report contains details on the continued growth of organics during the second year of the pandemic.
“It’s a very fact-filled report that contains some really good information for anybody who’s interested,” said Seeley. “Organics continue to show growth over a record-breaking 2020. In 2021 organic fresh produce sales grew by 5.5 percent over 2020 and more importantly they topped $9 billion in sales for the first time.”
Organic produce also saw an increase of 2.1 percent in overall volume. The 2021 State of Organic Produce shows that organic bananas, carrots and apples led the category in terms of volume. Organic sales were led predominantly by packaged salads and organic berries, which includes strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Organic apples were also a significant sales leader in 2021. “Those three categories make up over 50 percent of all organic fresh produce sales. So, they continue to be very, very strong,” Seeley noted.
The 64-page report notes that organic produce outperformed conventional produce in year-over-year sales and volume growth. Conventional sales grew by only 1.9 percent, while volume declined by 3.3 percent. “The report also includes the top 20 selling organic fresh produce items and looking at them from a geographic perspective; dividing the country up into four areas and seeing where the growth has been year over year,” said Seeley.
Industry organizations including the Organic Farming Research Foundation and the California Certified Organic Farmers share their efforts to promote and protect the organic industry in the report. Also included in the report are descriptions of the value of organic produce from a variety of retailers and wholesalers.
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