You may not believe it, but the organic food industry is actually doing pretty well despite the recent problems with the economy.

The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), which provides economic information and research for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, revealed in a current report that, “Organic products have shifted from being a lifestyle choice for a small share of consumers to being consumed at least occasionally by a majority of Americans.”

For those of us living an eco-lifestyle, this is great news, and it might inspire others to switch to healthier organic foods.

Destined for Organic

If you don’t believe in the mainstreaming of organic food, here are a few true facts from the ERS:

• The 2006 price for a half-gallon container of milk ranged from 60% above non-organic milk for private label organic milk to 109% above non-organic for branded organic milk.
• Consumers prefer organic food because of their health concerns, as well as for environment and animal welfare concerns.
• Consumers are now willing to pay premium prices for organic foods.
• Organic food sales have quintupled over the same period, from $3.6 billion to $21.1 billion last year.
• Fruit and vegetables are the biggest organic food sellers at 37%.
• Organic dairy products sell at 16%.
• Organic beverages (grew by 40% in 2008) and packaged foods are at 13%.
• Organic breads and grains achieved 35% growth over the year.

The Organic Trade Association, which promotes organic trading to protect the environment and to better people’s lives, even said that organic food sales grew by 4.9% just this year, which is a huge increase for the organic industry.

It’s good to see that organic food and organic food stores are becoming more mainstream because it means that more of us are starting to care about our health and the impact that our food handling practices have on the environment.

If you’re interested in the organic food industry check out our post on Want go Join an Organic Farm Exchange Program?

Source: Food Navigator-USA.com