M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
Organic food market in the U.S. - statistics & facts
The organic food market in the U.S. has shown a steady growth between 2013 and 2024. The market sales value has increased by over 33 billion U.S. dollars during that period. In the past years, consumer awareness of organic products has risen significantly, especially among younger generations. As of 2024, over 30 percent of Gen Z and millennials in the U.S. stated that they almost only bought or rather preferred to buy organic foods. Among organic food brands in the U.S., Trader Joe’s is winning in brand awareness, recognized by 70 percent of American consumers.
Organic produce category is at the top of the organic food segment
For the past two decades, the food segment has dominated the organic market, accounting for approximately 90 percent of sales. Within the organic food sector, fresh organic fruit and vegetables are the top selling category with over 21 million U.S. dollars sales in 2024, followed by organic grocery and organic beverages. Natural and organic retailers had strong positive sales growth in 2024, led by supernatural grocers such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Fresh Thyme, and others. That year supernatural grocers' retail sales of organic and natural reached over 32 billion U.S. dollars.Consumers perceptions of organic food
A recent survey showed that most of the respondents believe that organic food does not use pesticides. About half of the respondents sided with the notion, while about 30 percent were not sure. Half of Americans also agreed with organic marketing claims stating that the products are healthier and protect animal health and welfare. Unsurprisingly, many Americans stated that organic claims are somewhat or very important to them, when grocery shopping. Food price inflation, however, has pressured consumers to cut back on their organic food expenditure in order to save money. This might impact the organic food market negatively unless some price adjustments are implemented.
