According to the latest Organic Trade Industries survey that was released this week, the American organic sector continues to grow gaining more market share than ever this past year as consumers across the nation ate and used more organic products then ever.
This year’s numbers are much higher than last, almost $4 billion higher, organic sales in 2016 alone sat at almost $47 billion which is an all-time record. Organic food now accounts for more than 5% of total food sales in this country; this too is an all time record high for the organic industry. All organic food sales increased by more than 8% or $3.3 billion over last year, the interesting part could be that non-food organic product sales saw significant growth too.
Consumers are not just eating more organic; they are replacing household items with organic fiber, personal care products and supplements. This is where the industry sees the most growth potential as sourcing adequate supplies of organic textiles and fiber continues to be challenging.
The organic industry is growing jobs as well, with more than 60% of all organic businesses with more than 5 employees reporting growth in full-time employees.