Rising prices drove total organic fresh produce sales up 3.7% in the second quarter of this year, according to Organic Produce Network’s latest Organic Produce Performance Report. Compared to the same period last year, average pricing for organic fresh produce rose 6.7% in Q2 (reaching $2.4 billion in sales), while average pricing for conventional produce went up more than 9% (reaching $18.1 billion).
Price increases also resulted in a 2.8% drop in organic volume, revealing inflation’s impact on consumer spending — as budgets tighten, consumers are more likely to trade down to less expensive conventional produce.
Within organic produce categories, berries had the highest dollar sales for the quarter at $430 million, with organic blackberries increasing 27.6% in sales year over year. And though volume fell for most organic fruit categories, bananas were an exception, increasing 4.0% in volume and 4.3% in dollar sales.
“Inflation and supply chain challenges have impacted pricing in the short term,” said Matt Seeley, co-founder and CEO of Organic Produce Network. “However, organic fresh produce will remain an important component of weekly food shopping as consumers look for healthy, safe, and nutritious products for their families.”
