UNITED STATES - The organic train continues across the continent, full steam ahead.

The organic industry reported that the category made an 11.3 percent leap, and the trend is not restricted to any particular region.

“[Organic] doesn’t have any demographic boundaries," Organic Trade Association (OTA) Chief Executive Laura Batcha said, according to the Washington Business Journal. "This additional new data [shows] it doesn’t have regional or partisan boundaries."

And produce remains at the head of the rapidly rising market. Organic fruits and vegetables reigned in about $13 billion last year, making up more than 36 percent of all organic food sales.

USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack commented that the growth spurt has prompted the department to create a new database to make it possible for consumers to track companies’ organic certifications, while anticipating a positive impact on agriculture. 

"The more diverse type of operations and the more growing market sectors we have in American agriculture, the better off our country's rural economy will be," Vilsack said, according to The Times-Picayune.

The OCT also found that organic produce in stores has doubled in the last decade, now occupying 12 percent of all produce available in the aisles. This could be in direct response to demand, as the association also reported that the majority of American households nationwide now endeavor to make organic food purchases while shopping retail, the Washington Business Journal reports.

The overall organic industry is currently valued at $39.1 billion, organic food being by far the largest within the industry at $35.9 billion, which Batcha felt definitely kicks it out of the “niche" category. 

It seems that the organic engine isn’t slowing, so stay tuned as AndNowUKnow continues to keep you up to date on what is happening within the industry.