“Once again, sales of organic fresh produce continue to be a major growth opportunity for retailers across the country. At the same time, as the country enters a post-COVID environment, with restaurants reopening and other foodservice options available, it appears the double-digit growth rate will be slowing,” said Matt Seeley, CEO of Organic Produce Network.
The quarterly increase outpaced conventional produce sales, which grew by only 2.9%. Organic fresh produce volume grew by 5.7%, while conventional volume saw a decline of 0.6%.
Source: Organic Produce Network and Category Partners
The top 10 organic produce categories continued to perform very well, with 8 of the top 10 categories generating increases in both dollars and volume. Of these top 10 categories, only organic carrots and apples failed to generate year-over-year dollar and volume gains during the first quarter.