State Experts Worry About Future Pressure On Local Farmers As National Data Shows Continued Growth In Demand

The market for organic produce continues to grow, even with more competition in the industry.

The Organic Produce Network recently released data on how much organic vegetables, fruit and other produce items were sold in the United States last year.

The industry group used data collected by Nielsen at major grocery stores on organic produce items scanned at checkouts. They found that $4.8 billion of organic produce was sold in 2017, 8 percent more than 2016 sales.

Matt Seeley, CEO and founder of OPN, said last year’s growth is consistent with increased demand over the last decade.

“Millennials are the driving force behind organic consumption right now,” Seeley said. “Millennials want to know more about their food, where their food comes from, how it was produced and what it’s going to do to (their) body.”