Organic dairy products posted another year of growing sales in the United States in 2014. According to the Organic Trade Association's (OTA) latest survey, organic dairy sales topped $5.46 billion last year, an 11 percent leap from 2013. That was the biggest jump recorded in six years.
In general, the demand for organic anything is on the rise. Sales of organic foods and organic nonfood products tallied a record year in 2014. At $39.1 billion, overall organic sales grew a tremendous 11.3 percent from the year before.
The appetite for organic doesn't appear to be segregated in certain areas of the country either, as states across the nation posted growing organic sales. Across the country, 68 percent to nearly 90 percent of households reported purchasing organic products.
Organic products made up almost 5 percent of total food sales last year. Fruits and vegetables represented more than two-thirds of all organic food sales, totaling $13 billion in 2014. That was up 12 percent from the year before. Twelve percent of all produce sold in the United States now is organic.
This data was first collected in 1997, and at that time organic food sales accounted for $3.4 billion, less than 1 percent of total food sales. While still a small segment of the food market, organic sales far outpaced sales of the overall food industry's 3 percent growth rate during the past 18 years.
Also experiencing impressive growth was the sale of nonfood organic products, which jumped almost 14 percent last year. These organic nonfood products accounted for 8 percent of the total market. Organic fiber and organic personal care products were the fastest growers.
