Organic fresh produce sales in 2020 were approximately $ 8.5 billion, an increase of more than $ 1 billion from 2019, and accounted for 12% of all fresh produce sales, according to Nielsen scan data provided in the Organic Produce Network Report. In comparison, sales of conventional products increased 10.7% during the year.
Like many other changes in the supermarket landscape, the pandemic and the growing preference of consumers for fresh food played a large role in increasing sales, according to the report.
“Faced with restaurant restrictions and closures and increased sales throughout the supermarket as consumers turned to food at home, sales of organic fresh produce increased last year, and consumers sought healthy meal options. , safe and healthy for their families. “Said Matt Seeley, CEO of Organic Produce Network.
Salads, berries and packaged apples post the highest sales gains
Nine of the top 10 organic sales and volume categories experienced double-digit growth in 2020, according to the report.
The top three categories by total sales for 2020 were packaged salads, berries (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries) and apples, with each segment posting double-digit gains over the prior year, Organic Produce Network noted.
The categories with the biggest year-over-year sales increases were herbs and spices (+ 26%) and potatoes (+ 21%), as consumers switched to preparing more meals at home than they had in 2019, according to the report.
In terms of the top categories by volume growth, bananas posted the highest gains at 16%, followed by apples with a volume growth of 14.1% from 2019.
Great growth opportunities ahead
Growth in the organic category was across the board, with sales in all four US geographic regions increasing by double digits in 2020.
According to the report, the West showed the largest increases in sales (16.8%) and volume (17.5%) compared to the previous year. The south increased in consumption of organic products, with sales of more than $ 2.5 billion, an increase of 14.7% from 2019, and volume increased 17.8% during the same period.
“The continued strength of organic fruit and vegetable sales through 2020 despite the economic challenges related to the pandemic underscores the depth of consumer demand for organic products,”Said Steve Lutz, Senior Vice President of Knowledge and Innovation at Category Partners.
Lutz highlighted the opportunity for further growth for organic products and the expansion of distribution networks.
“As we expect to see the pandemic begin to subside in 2021, the market opportunities for fresh organic fruits and vegetables in the coming year remain exceptional. There are wide swaths of the US where organic fruits and vegetables have a distribution. limited and a narrow assortment in many supermarkets.
“This indicates that across a multitude of organic product categories, significant growth opportunities remain both by gaining distribution and by supplying latent consumer demand.” Lutz said.
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