Organic Outpaces the Market: Global Sales Hit Record Highs as U.S. Crosses $76B

As the global food and beverage industry navigates economic headwinds, inflation, and climate volatility, one sector is not just surviving—it is redefining the modern food system. According to a wave of newly released 2026 market reports from around the globe, organic is not slowing down; it is structurally pulling ahead of the conventional marketplace. For business executives, the message is clear: Consumer demand for health, transparency, and sustainability has fundamentally transformed from a niche preference into a primary economic driver.

This article first appeared in Presence Marketing’s April 2026 newsletter.

By Steven Hoffman

In an era defined by fluctuating supply chains and evolving consumer behaviors, the organic food and beverage industry continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience. A trio of recently published annual market research reports from the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom reveals a sector that is consistently outperforming the broader conventional food market.

Driven by the mainstreaming of "food as medicine," an increased demand for clean ingredients, and a growing commitment to sustainability, global consumers are speaking with their wallets. Yet, as retail sales rise to unprecedented heights, the industry faces structural and supply-side challenges that require strategic foresight from organic food producers.

The Global Perspective: Record Sales Meet Supply Chain Realities
The global organic market has reached yet another milestone. According to The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics & Emerging Trends 2026, published jointly by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and IFOAM Organics International, global retail sales increased 5 percent year over year to nearly 145.0 billion euros ($156.9 billion) in 2024. This represents an all-time high for the sector, pointing to a robust, volume-driven recovery following periods of price-driven inflation.

According to the FiBL and IFOAM data, the global landscape is dominated by a few key powerhouses, though consumption is growing worldwide:

● The United States remains the largest single market for organic food, accounting for 60.4 billion euros ($65.4 billion) in retail sales

● Germany followed as the second-largest global market, generating 17.0 billion euros ($18.4 billion)

● China secured its position as the third-largest market, recording 15.5 billion euros ($16.8 billion) in organic sales

● France represented the fourth-largest market, with sales reaching 12.2 billion euros ($13.2 billion)

When looking at individual consumer habits, Europe remains the epicenter of organic loyalty. Per capita consumption was highest in Switzerland, where consumers spent an average of 481 euros ($521) on organic products in 2024, up from 468 euros the previous year. Denmark followed closely at 373 euros ($404) per person , an increase from 362 euros in 2023. Austria also ranked among the highest, maintaining a steady per capita consumption of 292 euros ($316) year-over-year. Meanwhile, the United States ranked eighth globally, with a per capita organic consumption of 176 euros ($190) in 2024.

However, the FiBL and IFOAM report reveals a dichotomy between soaring consumer demand and agricultural realities. In 2024, almost 98.9 million hectares (244.4 million acres) of agricultural land were organic, including in-conversion areas. This represented 2.1 percent of the world's total agricultural land. Yet, for the first time in years, organic farmland saw a slight contraction, decreasing by 176,000 hectares (434,904 acres), or 0.2 percent compared to the previous year.

This stabilization in acreage is largely attributed to shifting regulatory landscapes—such as the implementation of the new EU Organic Regulation (EU) 2018/848—as well as market disruptions stemming from the energy crisis, rising input costs, and climate variability that delayed farmer conversions. Extreme weather events have heavily impacted key export sectors, specifically commodities like coffee and cocoa. For executives, this signals a critical mandate: securing resilient, long-term supply chains and investing in farmer transition programs will be essential to meeting future demand.

The distribution of organic farmland highlights the global nature of the supply chain:

● Oceania accounted for the majority of organic land, with 53.2 million hectares (131.4 million acres) (Australia accounts for >99 percent of the total organic agricultural land in the entire Oceania region)

● Europe followed with 19.6 million hectares (48.4 million acres)

● Latin America held 10.3 million hectares (25.4 million acres)

● Asia managed 8.7 million hectares (21.5 million acres)

● North America accounted for 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres)

● Africa represented 2.8 million hectares (6.9 million acres)

Despite the slight dip in acreage, the human footprint of the organic movement expanded. The global number of organic producers increased to 4,844,872 in 2024. India reported the highest number of organic producers globally, with 2,363,607 farmers. Uganda followed with 404,246 producers. Ethiopia ranked third, registering 203,258 organic producers.

The U.S. Market Surge: Crossing the $76 Billion Mark
In the United States, organic is not just growing; it is redefining the marketplace. According to the 2026 Organic Market Report published by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) on March 4, 2026, U.S. sales of certified organic products reached a record $76.6 billion in 2025.

The data illustrates a sector that is structurally outpacing conventional food. Total U.S. organic sales grew by 6.8% year-over-year, effectively doubling the 3.4 percent growth rate of the overall marketplace. Organic food sales alone hit $70.1 billion, up 6.9 percent and growing three times faster than the overall food market's sluggish 2.3 percent growth.

As has historically been the case, the produce aisle remains the primary gateway for U.S. consumers entering the organic lifestyle. Organic produce accounted for $22.7 billion in sales, representing roughly 30 percent of total organic food sales. Growth within this category was robust, with berries up 10.5 percent, citrus climbing 18.1 percent, and bananas seeing a 12.6 percent boost.

However, the most striking shift in the American diet is occurring in the protein sector. Organic beef has emerged as the fastest-growing segment in the industry, skyrocketing by an astonishing 44.3 percent. This indicates a profound evolution in consumer priorities, where shoppers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for meat products that align with their ethical, environmental and health values. Organic dairy and eggs also saw impressive gains, growing 12.8 percent to reach $9.6 billion.

The concept of "food as medicine" seems to have firmly transitioned from a fringe trend to mainstream consumer behavior. This is most evident in the organic beverage category, which reached $10.2 billion in sales (up 7.2 percent), driven heavily by demand for functional benefits and clean-ingredient profiles. Furthermore, shelf-stable, value-driven organic goods—such as dried beans, fruits, and vegetables—experienced a 13.6 percent surge, proving that shoppers are finding ways to integrate organic staples into their pantries, even amid economic pressures.

As the OTA notes, consumers are consistently choosing trust over price, relying heavily on the USDA Organic seal. If this current trajectory holds, the U.S. organic sector crossing the $100 billion threshold by 2030 is very much within reach.

Import Dependencies: Closing the Supply-Demand Gap
While the U.S. dominates global consumption, its reliance on international trade highlights a critical vulnerability and an opportunity for industry stakeholders. Because domestic organic acreage remains under 1 percent of total U.S. farmland, domestic supply falls significantly short of demand.

The U.S. tracked $5.7 billion in organic imports in 2024. The volume of organic imports into the United States reached 3.25 million metric tons, an increase of 17.7 percent compared to the previous year. Combined, the imports of organic products into the European Union and the United States reached nearly 5.89 million metric tons in 2024.

According to The World of Organic Agriculture 2026 report published by FiBL and IFOAM Organics International, the top exporters supplying these large western markets were Mexico, with 865,076 metric tons; Ecuador, with 765,605 metric tons; and Canada, with 378,820 metric tons. The commodities driving this international trade network highlight consumer reliance on tropical and feed products:

● Bananas were the most imported organic product, totaling 1,365,512 metric tons

● Oilcakes accounted for 593,753 metric tons of total imports

● Sugar represented 535,699 metric tons of the organic imports

The reliance on imported organic feed crops is particularly stark. For instance, U.S. organic soy supply currently meets only about one-third of domestic demand, requiring substantial imports to support the booming organic livestock and poultry sectors.

Complicating this reliance on imports is a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. As noted in the FiBL and IFOAM report, earlier U.S. trade policies introduced significant volatility into the supply chain, as President Trump’s tariffs “are having a negative effect on agricultural food imports, more so on the organic sector, as it is heavily dependent on imported raw materials."

The legal and economic reality for organic importers shifted dramatically in early 2026 when the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) did not authorize the President to impose sweeping tariffs, effectively striking down the measures, as reported by SCOTUSblog. However, the relief for the organic supply chain was short-lived. Within hours of the ruling, the administration invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a new temporary 10 percent across-the-board global tariff, according to an analysis by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE).

This rapid pivot means the organic sector continues to face elevated taxes on imported raw materials and feed grains. Furthermore, because these new Section 122 tariffs are temporary—set to expire after 150 days—the environment remains unstable. This forces organic businesses to make critical pricing and supply chain decisions against a backdrop of extreme trade policy volatility.

Complicating matters further is the prospect of potential refunds. Because the Court ruled the IEEPA tariffs were collected illegally, importers may be entitled to recoup billions of dollars in costs. But as Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted in his dissent, the process of refunding these tariffs is likely to be a "mess," leaving organic businesses to navigate complex litigation to recover funds, as highlighted by SCOTUSblog.

Ultimately, because the administration quickly replaced the struck-down tariffs with new ones, overall tariff rates remain similar to their previous levels. Organic businesses continue to face high input costs, which will likely still be passed on to consumers at the grocery store. For C-suite executives, investing in domestic transition programs and expanding local infrastructure is no longer just a marketing win; it is a vital survival strategy for supply chain security in an era of unpredictable trade policy.

The U.K. Perspective: Growth Outpaces Non-Organic
The story of organic resilience extends across the Atlantic. According to the Organic Market Report 2026 published by the Soil Association, and reported by Wicked Leeks on March 19, 2026, 83 percent of U.K. households now purchase organic products.

Despite enduring a severe cost-of-living crisis and rampant food inflation, the U.K. organic market's growth has successfully outpaced the non-organic sector. This trend underscores a broader European and global realization: organic is no longer viewed as an expendable luxury by the majority of consumers. Instead, it is increasingly seen as a non-negotiable investment in personal health, animal welfare and environmental stewardship.

Strategic Takeaways
The convergence of data from FiBL, IFOAM, the OTA, and the Soil Association paints a picture of an industry at an inflection point. Organic is no longer simply growing; it is actively restructuring the modern food system. For business leaders in the natural and organic space, several key directives emerge from these 2026 reports:

1. Capitalize on the Protein and Beverage Boom: While produce remains the foundation of organic retail, the aggressive 44.3 percent growth in U.S. organic beef and the $10.2 billion beverage market point to the next major battlegrounds. Innovating in the functional beverage space and expanding organic protein offerings will be critical for capturing premium consumer dollars.

2. Invest in Supply Chain Resilience: The slight 0.2 percent global decrease in organic farmland  paired with record-breaking consumer demand is a recipe for future supply shortages. Brands must proactively partner with growers, offer transition incentives, and secure long-term contracts, particularly for high-risk commodities including coffee, cocoa and feed grains.

3. Lean into Transparency: With consumers navigating a crowded landscape of sustainability claims, the rigorous, third-party verification of the USDA Organic and equivalent international seals remains the gold standard. Brands that clearly communicate the holistic benefits of organic—from soil health to clean ingredients—will continue to win on consumer trust.

As the data makes clear, the global organic market has transitioned from an alternative niche to a dominant force. Executives who align their sourcing, product development, and marketing strategies with this reality will be best positioned to lead the industry as it marches toward the $100 billion milestone and beyond.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural Marketing, a strategic communications and brand development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more at www.compassnatural.com.

Presence MarketWatch 2025

This article first appeared in the January 2025 issue of Presence Marketing’s newsletter.

By Steven Hoffman

With the Trump administration returning to the White House and the GOP controlling both the Senate and House of Representatives by narrow margins, the year 2025 is sure to bring significant change to regulatory policy, business and the economy, not just for the U.S. but also the world. To help leaders in the natural channel navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead, Presence Marketing will track and report on these issues over the course of the year ahead. Read on for a snapshot of some of the major issues that will impact the natural, organic and nutritional products market over the coming year.

Tariffs and Food Prices
President-elect Donald Trump ran on a campaign to lower grocery prices, which rose 23% since the onset of the Covid pandemic in Spring 2020. Food inflation has slowed over the past year, according to NBC News, and is now less than 2% as energy prices and supply chains have stabilized. Yet, experts caution that a combination of tariffs and mass deportations could have a further destabilizing effect on agriculture, food production and grocery prices. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs up to 60% on goods from China, and a 25% tariff on products from Mexico and Canada – all countries that are significant exporters of food and other products to the U.S. market.

In a Time Magazine interview in December 2024, Trump acknowledged it may be difficult to bring down grocery prices, saying, “Look, they got them up. I’d like to bring them down. It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up.” According to a study from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada would have the biggest impact on prices for autos, vegetables, fuel, prepared food and animal products, reported CNN Business. The U.S. relies on Mexico for 89% of its imported avocados and 91% of foreign-grown tomatoes. “Higher tariffs on Mexico and Canada will … put upward pressure on U.S. food prices,” the Peterson Institute said. While it’s too soon to determine whether Trump will actually impose tariffs or if trade agreements can be reached to prevent them, “The only certainty is that new tariffs will be costly for the United States,” said the Peterson Institute study’s authors.

Food, Farm Workers and Mass Deportation
California’s Monterey County is the fourth-largest crop-producing county in the nation, with the agriculture industry there contributing $4.4 billion to the economy, and with an estimated 55,000 farm workers, including many who are undocumented. As such, the area’s growers have expressed concern that much of their workforce could disappear as a result of potential mass deportations once the Trump administration takes office. In an interview on Dec. 19, 2024, with NBC Bay Area News, Monterey County Farm Bureau CEO Norm Groot said, “It will absolutely impact food prices at the consumer level. If it impacts local and nationwide supplies, that will have a price increase.” NBC reported the farm bureau is teaming up with county officials and other stakeholders to create a task force in addressing local concerns around mass deportations, including concerns around family and child separation. "It's interesting that four years ago during the pandemic, they were essential," Groot said. "And now all of a sudden we’re looking at it from a different perspective and trying to understand how that dynamic has changed." 

And it’s not just Monterey County – while it’s estimated that undocumented workers make up only 5% of the total U.S. workforce, the share of undocumented workers across the nation’s food supply chain is at least 16%, reported Successful Farming. In some industries this number is higher – the Idaho Dairymen’s Association estimated that nearly 90% of the state’s dairy workers were born outside of the U.S. According to a September 2024 study by the Peterson Institute, mass deportation could lead to a 10% increase in food prices. Between higher food prices that could come with proposed tariffs – and potential government bailouts funded by U.S. taxpayers to provide assistance to farmers affected by deportations – Americans could potentially get “double-whammied” by the higher costs and supply chain disruptions these proposed policies could bring.

RFK, FDA and the Nation’s Health
MAHA has become a rallying cry for many in the natural health and nutritional supplements industry as Congress weighs the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Kennedy, a lawyer, environmentalist and controversial health advocate, is Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a Cabinet-level position that oversees the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and others.

On one hand, RFK’s team is weighing a rewrite to the FDA’s rules overseeing food additives and taking a hard look at the harmful chemicals and pesticides used in food production. On the other hand, RFK’s top lawyer Aaron Siri stirred controversy when it was reported in December 2024 by CNN and others that he had petitioned the FDA to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. The World Health Organization declared that polio was eradicated in 2019 but warned it could re-emerge if vaccination coverage declines. According to a Dec. 4, 2024, article in Forbes, Kennedy criticized the FDA in a post on X (formerly Twitter) for “suppressing” a wide range of items, including “psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals, and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma.”

Kennedy will have an ally in Martin Makary, M.D., a surgeon, public policy researcher at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and President-elect Trump’s choice to serve as FDA Commissioner. In September 2024, Makary joined RFK at a round table in Congress on health and nutrition, where he criticized how food in the U.S. is grown and processed. "We have poisoned our food supply, engineered highly addictive chemicals that we put into our food. We spray it with pesticides that kill pests. What do you think they do to our gut lining in our microbiome?" Makary said. In related news, Trump’s pick for Surgeon General, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a family medicine doctor who runs a chain of urgent care clinics in New York, was a regular Fox News contributor and is an advocate for nutritional supplements, marketing her own brand of dietary supplements called BC Boost, containing vitamins C, B-12, D and Zinc.

Brooke Rollins Nominated to Lead USDA
President-elect Trump in November nominated Brooke Rollins, President and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank based in Texas, to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American farmers, who are truly the backbone of our country,” Trump said in a statement. Rollins is a graduate of Texas A&M University, with an undergraduate degree in agriculture development. “From her upbringing in the small and agriculture-centered town of Glen Rose, Texas, to her years of leadership involvement with Future Farmers of America and 4H, to her generational family farming background, to guiding her four kids in their show cattle careers, Brooke has a practitioner’s experience, along with deep policy credentials in both nonprofit and government leadership at the state and national levels,” the statement said.

“We congratulate Brooke Rollins on her nomination as Secretary of Agriculture. This is an important moment for U.S. agriculture, and we are optimistic about the opportunities her leadership will bring to rural America,” Amy France, chairwoman of the National Sorghum Producers in Scott City, KS, told Successful Farming. "Sorghum farmers are at the forefront of innovation, contributing to domestic biofuels and heart-healthy, nutritious, ancient grain foods. We are eager to work with her to advance policies that strengthen the sorghum industry and benefit growers nationwide.”

“The Department of Agriculture plays a pivotal role in safeguarding our food supply, addressing food insecurity, managing our forests, as well as supporting America’s farmers and rural communities who are on the frontlines of the climate crisis,” said Rebecca Riley, Managing Director, Food and Agriculture, for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “Rollins needs to invest in America’s farmers – from small family farms to larger-scale operations – and to work toward a resilient and equitable food system that puts healthy food on the table, restores our soil, protects the climate, and safeguards the health of our communities … now is not the time to undermine climate-smart farming practices, favor industrial agriculture at the expense of small producers and consumers, or gut the nutrition programs that many Americans rely on,” Riley said.  

California’s AB 660 Sets Landmark Food Date Labeling Standards
California Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2024 signed into law the nation's first mandatory food date labeling reform bill. California Assembly Bill 660 (AB 660) standardizes the use of “Best If Used By” and “Use By” dates on food labels, and prohibits the use of “Sell By” dates. The new law requires manufacturers to use the same phrase for date labels across their products, reported Food Safety. Beginning July 1, 2026, companies selling food products in California must only use “Best If Used By” to indicate the date by which a product will reach its peak quality, and “Use By” to indicate the date by which a product’s safety can no longer be guaranteed. The use of consumer-facing “Sell By” dates will be prohibited to reduce the chances of consumers confusing “Sell By” dates with quality or safety dates.

“On grocery store shelves today, there are more than 50 differently phrased date labels on packaged food. Some phrases are used to communicate peak freshness of a product or when a product is no longer safe to eat. Others, like ‘Sell By,’ are used only to inform stock rotation in stores but mislead some consumers into thinking the product is no longer safe to eat. AB 660 will close this gap by requiring manufacturers to use the same phrase for date labels across their products,” NRDC said in a statement. 

Of course, as goes California, so goes the country. “AB 660 is game changing, not just for California, but for the country. It will be the first law of its kind to end the ridiculous confusion that causes consumers to throw out almost $15 billion of perfectly good food nationwide. It will also help reduce the significant toll that wasting food has on our planet,” Dana Gunders, President of reFED, told BioCycle Magazine. “Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with. Today’s signing of AB 660 is a monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet,” said Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, author of the bill.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing public relations, brand marketing, social media and strategic business development services to natural, organic, sustainable and hemp/CBD products businesses. Contact steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com.