Organic food sales growth slowed in 2021 as consumer priorities shifted

Dive Short:

• Organic meals revenue rose about 2% in 2021 to reach $57.5 billion, according to the Natural and organic Trade Association’s once-a-year sector study. This compares to a 12.8% growth amount in 2020, and a 4.6% increase in 2019.
• Among the distinct organic categories, baby food items noticed the maximum dollar profits development in 2021 at 11%, followed by beverages at 8%. Dairy and egg sales were flat, even though continue to almost 11% higher than in 2019, according to the OTA. Snacks, the only classification to see a reduce in income in 2020, posted 6% progress in 2021 driven by nourishment bars.  
• When the OTA positioned very last year’s slower sales progress as “shifting back to historic trends,” the file-high maximize in food items rates this yr will check consumers’ determination to having to pay a lot more to eat natural.

Dive Insight:

Taken independently, pretty much every organic and natural food items category held its own in 2021, even if growth premiums fell again to modest amounts.

Gross sales of organic fruits and veggies rose about 4.5% in 2021 to get to a lot more than $21 billion, generating up a 15% share of the full phase. Although frozen fruits and vegetables ended up a large driver of advancement in 2020 as consumers stocked up all through the pandemic, product sales of frozen and canned goods fell a little previous yr. In 2021, the fresh develop and dried beans, fruits and veggies segments drove progress, with gross sales up 6% and 6.5%, respectively.

Organic meat sales — together with poultry, livestock and seafood — grew 2.5% in 2021 to achieve nearly $2 billion, as opposed to a extra than 25% soar in 2020. Poultry noticed the greatest development amount in the meat section at 4.7% to hit extra than $1 billion in gross sales.   

With the decline in pantry loading, natural and organic classes that observed explosive development in 2020 like canned soup, nut butters and pasta sauce suffered the largest declines in 2021, in accordance to the OTA. 

Organic and natural bread and grains also had a submit-pandemic slide-off, as sales “tapered off a little bit” in 2021 following a 30% increase in 2020, in accordance to the team. Baking ingredients, pastas, rice and other dry grains all saw declines.

In a press release, the OTA pointed out that the classification “may possibly go on to battle” as the Ukraine war and other developments stress provide chains. Combined, Ukraine and Russia are the source of 30% of the world’s wheat, and charges for the staple grain have approached report highs as global supplies shrink. This earlier week, the Foodstuff and Agriculture Group of the United Nations described that intercontinental wheat rates averaged extra than 56% higher in Might than the year prior. These better charges were for all wheat products, not just all those that are accredited natural, which are likely to carry a value premium.

For makers of natural and organic foods and drinks, the challenge is two-fold.

“To maintain organic potent, the marketplace will need to keep on building modern alternatives to offer chain weaknesses and prioritizing attempts to engage and teach organic and natural consumers and organizations,” OTA CEO and Government Director Tom Chapman said in a assertion.

Proving the category’s worthy of to shoppers at a time when food stuff selling prices are hitting a 4-decade high may be organic’s heavier raise. Customers are currently trading down and switching to considerably less highly-priced models under the pressure.

And consumers’ desire in purchasing natural may well also be emotion the strain. In accordance to a the latest assessment of purchaser survey info and social media key terms by Brightfield Group’s Evergi platform, cash has grown as a stressor in the past six months, outpacing work, the pandemic, the news and absence of sleep. Meanwhile, consumers’ willingness or need to spend a lot more for distinctive attributes has declined. Only 17% ended up prepared to invest in natural goods in the fourth quarter of 2021 according to a study the group printed, down 3 points from the earlier quarter.