Sales of organic food in the United States in 2015 rose by 13 percent from 2014 to more than $6 billion.
A survey report on 2015 organic food production and sales released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service shows that 12,818 certified organic farms in the United States sold a total of $6.2 billion in organic products in 2015, up 13 percent from $5.5 billion in 2014. The states of California and Wisconsin had the largest number of certified organic farms with 2,637 and 1,205 respectively.
The 2015 Certified Organic Survey reveals that the selection of certified organic products sold by U.S. farms in 2015 was diverse, from dairy and meats, to fruits, vegetables and grains. The value of sales from livestock and poultry products led the way ($1.9 billion) followed by vegetables ($1.4 billion); fruits, tree nuts, and berries ($1.2 billion); livestock and poultry ($743 million), and field crops ($660 million). The top five commodities in certified organic sales were:
Milk, $1.2 billion, up 8.4 percent from $1.1 billion in 2014.
Eggs, $732 million, up 74.5 percent from $420 million in 2014.
Broiler chickens, $420 million, up 13.1 percent from $371 million in 2014.
Apples, $302 million, up 20 percent from $251 million in 2014.
Lettuce, $262 million, down less than 1 percent from $264 million in 2014.