STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
Consumer demand has grown by double-digits every year since the
1990s—and organic sales increased from $3.6 billion in 1997 to over $39
billion in 2014.
Total U.S. Organic Sales and Growth, 2004–2014
$40,000,000,000
$30,000,000,000
$20,000,000,000
$10,000,000,000
$0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Organic Non-Food Sales
Organic Food Sales
The vast majority of American consumers purchase organic food products—
a recent Consumer Reports survey shows that 84% of American consumers
purchase organic food.
But production is not keeping up with demand. Supply shortages are one of
the greatest challenges facing the industry today. Despite continued growth
in production, handlers are not able to keep up with demand. Organic food
sales currently make up four percent of total food sales, while acreage
devoted to organic agriculture is less than one percent of total U.S. cropland.
There is a huge opportunity for rural communities to fill this demand.
Organic Acreage vs Organic Food Sales
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Percentage of Organic Acreage of Total U.S. Acreage
Percentage of Organic Food Sales of Total Food Sales
THERE’S MORE TO ORGANIC
THAN MEETS THE EYE
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