Within organic products, food and beverage sales increased 12.8% in 2020 to $ 56.4 billion, almost three times the growth of 4.6% to $ 50 billion in 2019 and the highest since 2008, OTA found in its 2021 Organic Industry Survey of nearly 200 companies conducted by the Nutrition Business Journal and published today.
The rebound in organic sales mirrors that of general food and beverage retail sales, which according to the report grew twice as fast in 2020 at 4.9% compared to 2.6% in 2019 to reach $ 1.4 trillion last year. This also reflects the change in household food consumption during the pandemic, allowing retail outlets to regain sales lost by the foodservice market.
“At the forefront of the health food charge was the desire for fresh produce,”According to the OTA, which found that sales of fresh organic produce increased nearly 11% in 2020 to $ 18.2 million.
He added that as consumers opted for larger and less frequent grocery trips during the pandemic, sales of frozen fruits and vegetables increased by more than 28%. Combined with canned and dry goods, total organic fruit and vegetable sales in 2020 reached $ 20.4 billion.
Pantry warehouse too “overwhelmingly”It contributed to the increase in organic sales with sales of organic flour and baked goods that grew 30%, reports OTA.
As the pandemic dragged on and cooking fatigue began, OTA also found that sales of sauces and spices for “meal support” raised sales of the condiments category by 31% to $ 2.4 billion. Organic spice sales were only up 51%, a dramatic increase from the 15% growth in 2019, the trade group adds.
Finally, sales of organic meat, poultry and fish grew almost 25%, bringing the smallest segment of organic categories to $ 1.7 billion.
While OTA celebrated the success of organic in a difficult year and expects the industry to remain in a “Strong growth trajectory for 2021”,He also realistically anticipates that organic home consumption or sales will slow a bit as economies reopen.
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