Produce is the Top Category in Organics

Organic produce is consumers’ No. 1 gateway to the retail organic market.

Organic fruits and vegetables have moved from niche to need-to-have offerings for U.S. retailers.
This shift started nearly a quarter of a century ago when the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) took effect, providing consistent national standards for organically grown produce and a federal regulatory program for enforcement.

Organic produce, which is consumers’ No. 1 gateway to the organic market, remained the top organic category in 2024, valued at $21.5 billion, according to the 2025 Organic Market Report, released in April by the Washington, D.C.-headquartered Organic Trade Association (OTA).

“This sustained growth is largely due to consumer trust in the USDA organic seal, along with rising concerns around sustainability and pesticide residues,” says Bianca Kaprielian, co-chief executive officer of Creekside Organics Inc., in Bakersfield, CA, whose flagship brands include Fruit World, Capay Organic and Creekside Organics.

As a category, organic fruits and vegetables accounted for nearly one-third (30.1%) of total organic sales last year, with dollars up 5.2%, based on OTA data. Looking at it another way, organic fresh fruits and vegetables represented 12% of total retail produce sales and 7% of overall produce volume, based on the State of Organic Produce 2024 report published by the Monterey, CA-based Organic Produce Network (OPN).

A FIRM FOUNDATION

Organic represents 100% of the produce sold at Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets Inc., headquartered in Lakewood, CO, and known as Natural Grocers, with 169 stores in 21 U.S. states.

“That’s not a rounding error, it’s the foundation of our produce department,” says Matt Fowler, category manager for produce.

“Our customers don’t have to hunt for the organic options or worry about what’s conventional — every fruit and veggie we carry is certified organic. Seasonally, we ride the same roller coaster as everyone in organic produce, but we embrace that challenge. It keeps things fresh, literally and figuratively.”

MARKET SNAPSHOT

While organic first took root in natural food markets and co-ops, conventional grocery retailers are now the main outlets for organic food sales. As of 2021, mainstream retail stores, club stores and supercenters accounted for over half (56%) of organic food sales to shoppers, according to U.S. Organic Production, Markets, Consumers and Policy, 2000-21, published in 2023 by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

“There is continued growth in selling organic produce to conventional stores, as it’s what the market demands,” says Brian Dey, senior merchandiser and natural store coordinator for Four Seasons Produce Inc., in Ephrata, PA. “However, the natural and organic food stores and food co-ops have grown very strong. Many of our key partners in this format in our trading area in the Mid-Atlantic are adding stores, with more growth projected in the coming years.”

Millennials and Gen Z are leading the charge in organic purchases, says Brian Antle, executive vice president of sales at Tanimura & Antle, Spreckels, CA. “A focus on personal health, nutrition, and values-driven shopping behaviors drives this.”

The organic shopper base has diversified, with more consumers seeking organic options for health and lifestyle reasons, says Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing for Sunkist Growers Inc., in Valencia, CA. “The narrowing price gap between organic and conventional produce has contributed to this trend.”

THE ORGANIC TOP 10

Organic berries, as well as avocados, bananas and apples, are in high demand at Natural Grocers, says Fowler.

Similarly, berries are among the top-growth organic produce categories at Weaver Street Market, according to Carolyn Twesten, produce, meat, and seafood merchandiser for Weaver Street Market, a four-store chain headquartered in Carrboro, NC. “We twin-line organic and conventional in the berry category, but organic blueberry pints are still the No. 3 sales item for the year, and organic strawberries are No. 6. The availability of pints over 6-ounce containers from Peru and Chile has made a huge sales impact.”

Berries ranked No. 1 among all other organic produce categories for the third year in a row, with dollars up 11.8% to nearly $1.9 billion, based on the OPN’s State of Organic Produce 2024 report.

“To maximize sales and consumer engagement, retailers should offer a variety of pack sizes of berries to cater to diverse customer needs,” says Tim Youmans, vice president of sales for Watsonville, CA-located California Giant Berry Farms, which offers organic strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

The packaged salad category was second, generating nearly $1.5 billion, although dollars declined by 5.5%. Apples placed third at $708 million, up 6.8%.

“The progress on developing higher flavor varieties is driving apple consumption,” says Chris Ford, business development and marketing manager for Viva Tierra Organic Inc., in Mount Vernon, WA. “So is having a new crop available. We bring core varieties, like Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Cripps Pink, and Honeycrisp, from the Southern Hemisphere from May through August. This year, we’ve partnered with Bayleaf Organics in New Zealand to bring in their super high-quality apples.”

The fourth through seventh ranked organic categories are herbs and spices ($494 million, +0.3%); bananas ($492 million, +16.1%); carrots ($446 million, +5.2%); and lettuce ($382 million, +1.0%).

“Our Organic Artisan Romaine has been particularly successful, appealing to shoppers who value organic certification and specialty varieties at the grocery level,” says Tanimura & Antle’s Antle.

In eighth is organic potatoes ($354, +9.2%). While this category represents russets, and red-, gold- and white-skinned potatoes, organic sweet potatoes are a top crop for ATV Farms, a family-owned root crop grower, packer, and shipper in Holland Landing, Ontario, which also owns Green Earth Organics.

“We added sweet potatoes two years ago and now offer 65 local, seasonal,and imported produce items that we either grow here in Canada or have growers in the U.S., Mexico, and South America that exclusively grow organics for us,” says Travis Agresti, founder and president. “Since we founded Green Earth in 2015, some retailers have increased their purchase of organic produce by 10 times in volume.”
Tomatoes ($333 million, +4.7 %) and citrus ($303 million, + 6.9%) round out the top 10 organic produce categories.

“Organic citrus items, such as mandarins, lemons and navel oranges, are among the best-sellers due to their convenience and nutritional benefits,” says Sunkist Growers’ Howard. “Organic Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges, and Valencia oranges are gaining popularity and becoming must-stock items for retailers. To meet demand, Sunkist has new organic specialty orange packaging available for retailers this season.”

Organic fruit and vegetable categories in the top 20 include avocados ($270 million, + 8.4%), cucumbers ($208 million, +9.6%), and kale ($104 million, +0.5%).

“Demand for organic avocados remains robust, even though supply has stayed relatively steady,” says Gary Caloroso, regional business development director for The Giumarra Companies, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

“For a typical 12-month period, organic avocados generally make up about 5% of total U.S. avocado availability. Producing organic avocados involves higher input costs for growers, which can limit supply growth. However, there has been a modest uptick in organic production from California, Mexico and Peru.”

Green kale, lacinato kale, and a blend of rainbow kale with shredded carrots are among items in a new line that converts Cal-Organic Farms’ vegetables into a ready-to-eat format, something made possible when parent company, Grimmway Farms, acquired San Miguel Produce in 2024.

“The chopped greens line also includes collard greens, while the company’s chopped vegetable line offers organic broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots in various blends and a broccoli slaw mix,” says David Bright, vice president of marketing for the Bakersfield, CA, grower/shipper/marketer.

GROW ORGANIC SALES

The word “organic” elicits reactions of “healthier,” and “better for me,” says Sunkist Growers’ Howard. “Gaining more education about organics is the top reason consumers report switching to organic options, based on our Sunkist Organic Shoppers 2024 report.”

At Weaver Street Market, organic and conventional produce are displayed side by side, while adhering to the NOP standards to avoid contamination. “With 75% of our produce sales from organic produce, conventional items are the outliers that we carry, either due to lack of organic availability or price point,” says Twesten.

Four Seasons Produce’s Dey says he’s seeing stores move toward integration and, in some cases, changing conventional produce displays to fully organic.

“Wet racks have become a popular home for moving to an all-organic set, as have mushrooms. Organic salad and value-added selections and SKUs have increased in standard conventional stores,” he notes.