The Organic Market: It’s Growing!

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the leading voice of the organic trade industry in North Amercia. They conduct surveys and publish reports on what has happened in the past, what’s going on now and what is expected to happen in the future when it comes to organic agriculture and products. With more and more people taking greater interest in the health and well being of themselves and their families, it’s not surprising to hear of the strong expansion of organics recently reported by the OTA. In 2013, sales of organic products jumped to just over $35 billion, an increase of 11.5% from 2012. This increase represents the fastest growth in the last five years. Laura Batcha, executive director and CEO of the OTA, says, “Consumers are making the correlation between what we eat and our health, and that knowledge is spurring heightened consumer interest in organic products.”

While organic food products dominate the impressive sales figures, non-food products such as fiber, flowers and bedding are expanding their reach into new markets and have almost doubled in market share. Demand for organic products is rising, which encourages the advancement of access to these products. Look around in the places where you shop and you will likely see more shelf space given to organic options. With terms like “eco” and “natural” showing up on more and more products, consumers are often swayed into believing claims of being better for the environment or better for health. “The entire organic industry needs to rally around helping consumers better understand and appreciate all the values that certified organic brings to the table,” said Batcha. “Consumer education is critical to grow the organic industry,” she adds. Movers and shakers of the North American Organic Trade industry will be meeting in Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 21 for the OTA’s Annual Policy Conference, where they will discuss the accomplishments as well as the challenges facing this growing industry. Organic is going mainstream! Jump in, the water is fine! Class dismissed….for now.