USA: More families than ever choosing organic

Knowledge on organics translates into purchase

According to a new survey by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) of families across the USA, today's parents know more about organic, and empowered with that knowledge, they are deciding to purchase organic than ever before. OTA's U.S. Families' Organic Attitudes and Beliefs 2015 Tracking Study, a survey of more than 1,200 households throughout the country with at least one child under 18, found that in the six years the poll has been conducted, familiarity and trust in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal – and general knowledge about organic – have increased in lockstep with the number of families who purchase organic products.

More households than ever before are choosing organics

Today, nearly half of the families in the USA (47 percent) are "very familiar" with the organic seal, representing a steady and significant increase of awareness from just 27 percent six years ago. Nearly seven in ten parents say they are extremely well informed or at least know "quite a bit" about organic. Armed with their heightened knowledge and trust of organic, more households than ever before are choosing organic products. Over eight in ten (83 percent)  families say they buy organic, up a full 10 points from the first year of the survey in 2009 and the highest level in the survey's lifetime. When OTA began tracking households six years ago, almost 30 percent had never chosen organic; that group today is a mere 17 percent. Just over half of all families surveyed said they have upped their purchases from a year ago, compared to only 30 percent in 2009 who reported an increase in organic purchases. The full study is available for purchase here.

Sales of organics still on the rise

OTA's Organic Industry Survey, which shows demand for organic food and non-food products booming, bears out these findings. OTA's comprehensive look at the organic sector in 2014 has just gotten underway, but all indications are that organic sales in the USA hit a new record high in 2014. Sales in 2013 jumped 12 percent to US$35.1 billion (about €34.4 billion).