Some surprisingly strong numbers have just been released about the organic product market. Even during the time of great economic woes, organics grew significantly during 2009. According to the Organic Trade Association’s 2010 survey, product sales grew by over 5% to reach $26.6 billion dollars in sales. This is an interesting figure when compared to overall US food growth (1.6%) during that same period. That’s a significant number of people showing their support and belief in the organic food industry! It tells us how far we have come and how concerned we are about food safety and our belief that the organic route is a much safer passage.
The greatest growth of organic foods was with fruits and vegetables and demonstrated over an 11% increase over the prior year. In turn the organic fruit and vegetable market now makes up over 11% of all US food and vegetable sales! No longer are consumers limited to a few specialty stores for their organic purchases. The basic, mainstream, grocer recognizes the impact of having organic produce available for consumers. In addition, of course, there are numerous buying opportunities at smaller outlets and farm markets.
With all the negative attention on how our schools are doing a bad job of feeding our children, the Organic Trade Association established a contest, one week remaining, with the winning school to receive an organic garden or be supplied with a vending machine filled with organics. Vote now. 
Whichever route one pursues for these purchases, the simple fact remains: The Organic Food Chain is growing considerably and it has reached an ever-growing market of consumers!
We celebrate this news.
