Organic produce increases to 2021 volume after multi-year decrease
Published: December 12, 2024
Category: Organic News
Although growth slowed down a bit compared to the second quarter of 2024, organic produce sales grew for the third consecutive quarter. Volume had decreased for the previous two years. The Midwest and South led in volume and dollar growth this quarter, bringing growth back to 2021 volume.
Both volume growth and dollars are down compared to the previous quarter. From April to June 2024, organic produce grew by 4.8% and 5.8% in volume, respectively. In Q3, organic produce grew by 4.2% in dollars and 4.6% in volume. Conventional produce grew 2.0% and 2.6% in dollars and volume, respectively. Organic is still more expensive by a gap of $1.49 per pound. Fifteen of twenty organic commodities experienced revenue growth, led by bananas (15.8%) and grapes (15.3%). Organic berries led in total dollars, generating $473 million. Salads ranked second (again), with overall revenue at $351 million for Q3.
In unit volume, 12 of the top 20 commodities grew. Organic apples achieved the highest volume growth for quarter three (27.6%). Bananas and grapes followed, with 13% growth—mirroring the top commodities for revenue growth. Bananas led in organic volume, with 155 million units. Avocados, citrus, and berries experienced losses for the quarter.
The South and Midwest regions were strong, with the Midwest leading with 7.4% organic volume growth and the South with dollar growth of 5.7%. Inflation was experienced in the West and Northeast regions—the Northeast held the highest average price per pound at $3.59/lb.
Source: Organic Producer Network
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Organic & Non-GMO Insights December 2024
