Organic food sales reached $26,6 billion in 2009 according to the Organic Trade Association’s 2010 Organic Industry Survey, posting an impressive 5.1% growth of 2009.
Detractors have been predicting that consumers would turn away from organics in 2009, which was a dismal year economically from start to finish.
But consumers are still placing great faith in organics, which is growing three times as fast as the rest of the food industry (total U.S. food sales reached only 1.6% in 2009). Furthermore, non-food organic sales received a huge bump from U.S. shoppers. From the Organic Trade Association:
“Organic non-food sales grew by 9.1 percent, as opposed to total non-food sales which had a 1 percent negative sales growth rate. These findings are indicative that even in tough times, consumers understand the benefits that organic products offer and will make other cuts before they give up products they value,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive Director.
With these numbers showing organics still in the driver seat of U.S. food and ag, it’s going to be very interesting to see how the next Farm Bill plays out.
Looks like some people have found organic food at lower prices…. and they need to tell me where they found them, because organic food is still too expensive for me.
How much do you make per year?