Organic Food Sales in 2022 Broke Through $60B
Organic food sales in the United States in 2022 broke through $60 billion for the first time, hitting another high-level mark for the resilient organic sector. Total organic sales, including organic nonfood products, were a record $67.6 billion, according to the 2023 Organic Industry Survey by the Organic Trade Association.
The sector’s 4% growth in sales value was nearly twice the pace of growth in 2021. Organic food sales totaled $61.7 billion, while the value of organic nonfood sales hit nearly $6 billion. Certified Organic now accounts for 6% of total food sales in the United States.
[Read more: "Conventional Produce Dollars Edge Out Organic in Q1: Report"]
“Organic has proven it can withstand short-term economic storms. Despite the fluctuation of any given moment, Americans are still investing in their personal health and, with increasing interest, in the environment, and organic is the answer,” said Tom Chapman, CEO of Washington D.C.-based Organic Trade Association.
Organic produce, often the entry point for new organic buyers, easily held its position as the top seller of all organic categories. Sales of organic produce totaled $22 billion, accounting for 15% of all fruit and vegetable sales in this country.
Organic beverages were the second best-selling organic category, reporting $9 billion in sales in 2022, up 4%. Organic coffee maintained its position as the biggest-selling organic beverage, up almost 7% from the year before, with close to $2.3 billion in sales. Organic soft drinks and enhanced drinks broke through $500 million in sales, at $503 million, and saw robust growth of almost 14%.
The third highest-selling organic category was dairy and eggs, at $7.9 billion, up more than 7% from the previous year. Organic dairy and eggs now constitute close to 8% of the total dairy and egg market. Continued demand and inflationary price increases helped boost the dollar sales in that category; yogurt and eggs both saw double-digit growth, with organic yogurt sales jumping by more than 12% to $1.5 billion, and organic egg sales by 11% to around $1.2 billion.
While the growth pace of organic sales has predictably slowed from during the pandemic, a wide and diverse smattering of organic products showed impressive growth as consumers bring organic more fully into their lives. To name a few: Organic baby food and formula sales were up almost 13% to $1.4 billion; sales of organic rice, grains and potato products were up more than 10% to $387 million; organic dip sales were up a big 18% to $194 million; and sales of organic pork were up more than 10% to $63 million.
This year’s organic survey was conducted early in 2023 from Jan. 13 through April 4.
