MONTEREY, CA - As we all continue to monitor what buying patterns will be disrupted or remain undeterred by the ongoing global pandemic, organic looks to be continuing to hold its own. Letting the numbers speak for themselves, Category Partners and Organic Produce Network released an exclusive 2020 Q2 Organic Produce Performance Review showing double-digit growth over the period.

Steve Lutz, Senior Vice President of Insights and Innovation, Category Partners“Packaged salads continue to be the organic sales driver, with bananas the clear volume leader. From a space to sales perspective, there is likely no other organic item in the produce department that can match the consumer purchase rate of bananas,” Steve Lutz, Senior Vice President, Insights and Innovation for Category Partners, said. “Three categories clearly drive volume growth: bananas, apples, and carrots—with those three commodities driving 46 percent of all incremental volume during the second quarter of this year.”

The top 10 categories for various organic products all generated double-digit growth for the quarter, according to a press release.

Matt Seeley, Chief Executive Officer, Organic Produce Network“While we see some moderated growth in organic sales in the second quarter of 2020, consumers continue to follow established pre-COVID-19 organic fresh produce purchasing habits despite the negative economic impacts of the pandemic,” Matt Seeley, CEO of the Organic Produce Network, commented.

Highlights for the category as listed in the report included:

• Sales saw an increase of 17 percent April–June, 2020
• Volume was up 18 percent from the same period in 2019
• Sales of organic fresh produce sales topped $1.7 billion for the quarter
• Organic fresh produce sales were up 11 percent in dollar growth for the first half of 2020
• Organic fresh volume was up 13 percent compared to the first six months of 2019
• Total organic fresh produce sales for January–June of this year totaled $3.3 billion

Overall, the report notes that organic fruit and vegetable sales increased 17.0 percent in Q2, slightly higher than conventional produce’s 16.1 percent increase April–June.

According to Category Partners and Organic Produce Network’s review, three categories clearly drive organic volume growth: bananas, apples, and carrots

To view the full report, including further details of the top 10 categories, a breakdown of fruits to vegetables, and more, click here.

Category Partners and Organic Produce Network’s 2020 Q2 Organic Produce Performance Review utilized Nielsen retail scan data covering total food sales and outlets in the United States over the months April, May, and June. As we continue to follow these and other hot branches of fresh produce, be sure to follow AndNowUKnow.

Category Partners Organic Produce Network