Organic Produce Network and Category Partner's Report Continued Double-Digit Growth of Organics in May
MONTEREY, CA - Can you smell the green in the air? No, not just the scent of summertime freshness, but the scent of cash flowing in. Organic fresh produce sales and volume continue their double-digit growth trend year over year, with this year's May sales and volume increasing by a whopping 16 percent. This insight was brought to the industry exclusively from the May 2020 Organic Produce Performance Report, released by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.
“We continue to see the strength of organic fresh produce at retail and how consumers show no indications of shifting purchases away from organic fruit and vegetables,” said Matt Seeley, CEO of the Organic Produce Network.
March and April similarly saw trends of elevated sales of organic fresh produce, especially since consumers were continuing at-home eating. According to a press release, this trend resulted in May 2020 organic fresh produce sales that topped $662 million.
“Of the top 15 organic volume growth categories, nine were vegetables," added Steve Lutz, Senior Vice President, Insights and Innovation at Category Partners. “Large volume increases in products like organic cauliflower, celery, herbs, mushrooms, and broccoli continue to reflect a shift in consumer home food preparation habits since the beginning of the pandemic in March.”
Overall, organic sales in May increased by 16.3 percent in dollars, and 16.2 percent in volume from May of 2019, while conventional produce dollars increased by 18 percent and volume was up 15.5 percent, the press release went on to explain.
Bananas continue to be the dominant category for volume growth, larger than the combined power of the next two categories, apples and carrots. Per the report, the top three categories—bananas, carrots, and apples, respectively—share a common trait: retail prices for organic options are priced relatively close to the conventional counterpart.
A broader trend also reflected in the report is consumer purchases of organic ingredient products.
How will the industry continue to see organics rise? AndNowUKnow will be on the scent.
