Organic produce sales grew during the past year, reflecting an ongoing rise in demand for sustainably grown fruits and vegetables.
A newly released report by the Washington, D.C.-based Organic Trade Association shows fresh produce was the top-selling organic food category in 2025 and a primary entry point for consumers into the organic market.
“For the third year in a row, organic has grown faster than the total market,” Tom Chapman, co-CEO of OTA, says in a news release for the report. “This indicates shoppers are prioritizing their health and the planet, and are willing to pay a premium for it.”
Circana OmniMarket Integrated Fresh data for the 52 weeks ending March 22, 2026, confirms the organic produce category’s upward trajectory, marking the third straight year of dollar and volume gains. Retail sales grew 3.5% to more than $12 billion, and volume sales increased 4.3% to 4.2 billion pounds.
Conventional produce sales grew at a slower rate, rising just over 2% in dollar sales to $85.5 billion and growing 1.6% in volume sold to 48 billion pounds.
Affordability was the overarching theme in consumer behavior during the past 12 months, says Jonna Parker, head of the Fresh Foods Client Insights Group at Circana. Yet, she adds, volume sales of organic produce increased.
“For almost every produce product that is organic, there is also an offering that is nonorganic,” says Parker, noting that the organic option typically costs more than its conventional counterpart. “The consumer is feeling cash-strapped about everything, and they’re electing on a faster year-over-year growth rate to buy the more expensive thing.”
When sales by the pound increase for organic, she adds, “I know that it’s demand-driven, not price-driven. The drivers behind this growth are truly consumer-led.”
Jen Jacobs, the director of membership and marketing at the Organic Produce Association in Washington, D.C., also points to the volume growth as a positive sign for the sector, signaling consumption- rather than inflation-driven gains.
But the year was not without challenges for organic farmers.
“Organic growers continued to navigate elevated production costs, labor challenges, weather volatility and broader supply chain uncertainty throughout 2025,” she says. “Trade uncertainty, tariff pressures and import-related concerns also impacted availability and planning across certain categories.”
At the same time, the economic environment compelled consumers to balance their interest in organic produce with the need to tighten their household budgets, according to Jacobs.
“This creates ongoing pricing pressure throughout the supply chain and reinforces the importance of educating consumers on the value and integrity of organic production,” she says.
Overall, Jacobs says, shoppers continue to focus on health, ingredient transparency and wellness in the produce section.
Room for More Growth
While Parker says she applauds the organic fresh produce industry’s success, she thinks the past year’s gains could have been higher.
“We still saw growth, but it’s not nearly as much as one would expect given the health trends and the affordability trends,” she says. “Even though an organic apple or banana is more expensive than the conventional apple or banana or head of lettuce, it’s still infinitely cheaper than other healthy food options in other parts of the store.”
To help move the needle, Parker says, the produce industry needs to do more to entice and educate potential buyers of organic produce.
“The consumer wants to eat more of us. They want more fruit and vegetable variety. They want to be marketed to in new ways,” she says. “I really think, especially when you have to make a price-tier choice, you’ve got to not just ‘stack them high and watch ’em fly’ — which is still what we do.”
When it comes to fresh produce, it’s no longer only about organic versus conventional, Parker adds.
“It’s about variety. It’s about branding,” she says. “There is no industry left, other than produce, that we haven’t recognized that the consumer wants tiers, choices and options. The best signal to find that consumer who is more discerning about produce is the consumer who is choosing organic selectively.”
Parker says one area within organic that has done a good job of category management and promotion is packaged salads and leafy greens. And though the category is “light years ahead” of other organic produce when it comes to marketing, she adds, it’s still far behind other food categories, such as yogurt.
Parker says that if the industry doesn’t find ways to market and differentiate its products, “We’re going to be left behind.”
Gen Z and Millennials: Organic Produce Champions
The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2026 survey, which polled consumers throughout the country about their purchasing behaviors over the previous 12 months, shows that the greatest potential for growth in organic produce sales lies with younger demographics. Despite higher prices for organic produce compared to conventional product, Gen Z and millennial consumers consistently report greater engagement with organic than older generations do.
“We as a supplier community have planted more fields and sought more certifications, so one could argue that [gains are happening because] we’ve got more supply,” Parker says. “But I really think what’s happening now is generational.”
Younger consumers view organic as a premium option, she explains, and as they come of age and start their own households, “Organic has become table stakes in many of their minds.”
With the oldest Gen Zers turning 29 this year, they’re starting to replace baby boomers in the shopping populace who generally don’t understand the price-to-value benefits of organic produce.
“None of these numbers surprise me at all,” Parker says. “This is demand-driven, 100%.”
Parker says she is seeing a similar trend with beauty products, spurred by the influence of social media; younger consumers are willing to pay more for premium offerings they view as sustainable.
“For Gen Z and younger millennials, they’ve come of age during a branded era where how and what you wear and what you eat is now part of your overall self-worth and identity,” she says. “So, for a lot of younger consumers, choosing organic is how they’re manifesting this identity of wanting to be healthier.”
Jacobs at OPA has seen a similar trend.
“Younger consumers and families are increasingly prioritizing organic products, fueled by greater access to health and wellness information online and growing interest in clean eating, gut health and anti-inflammatory lifestyles,” she says.
Convenience, flavor and snacking versatility are also part of the appeal for younger generations that are choosing organic produce, particularly in households with children. “Consumers are increasingly looking for produce that fits into on-the-go lifestyles while still delivering freshness, flavor and nutritional benefits,” Jacobs says.
Unbeatable Berries
As in previous years, the fresh fruit category dominated organic produce sales.
Total dollar sales for organic fresh fruit grew 8% to $5.4 billion during the 52-week period ending March 22, 2026, according to Circana, and volume sales increased 7.1% to 2.3 billion pounds.
During the same period, dollar sales for organic vegetables increased just 0.3% to $6.8 billion, and volume sales inched up 1.1% to 1.9 billion pounds.
Among fruit commodities, organic berries once again came out on top. Berries ranked No. 1 in dollar sales, up 10.7% over the prior year to $2.3 billion. Blueberries emerged as the best-selling variety, up 12.3% in dollar sales. Next in the ranking were strawberries (up 9.7%) and raspberries (up 11.5%).
“Berries have been on a juggernaut tear,” driven by their versatility in everything from snacks to bowls to smoothies, Parker says. “We absolutely see more consumers who are doing functional beverages in the morning versus traditional morning foods like savory breakfast or sweet pastry breakfast.”
Those wellness-seeking Americans are more likely to include organic fruits in their daily smoothies and juices, she adds.
Bananas racked up the highest volume sales, according to Circana, gaining 9.7% year-over-year. Apples (down 3.5%) and berries (up 13.7%) ranked second and third, respectively.
Mike Peterson, produce coordinator for the Oliver’s Market chain in Northern California, confirms that bananas were strong performers in the fruit category last year — especially if they carried the fair trade label.
“Fair trade bananas have moved up significantly from the top 20 to the top 10,” Peterson says. “It’s 29 cents more than your Dole banana, but I think the story’s better and they seem to ripen a little better.”
Organic strawberries and blueberries also ranked among the markets’ top-selling fruits.
Melons saw mixed performance during the last year, depending on the variety. Circana figures show watermelon declined 14.5% in year-over-year dollar sales and 8.1% in volume sales. Similarly, cantaloupe dropped more than 24% in both dollar and volume sales. However, dollar sales for orange flesh/cantaline melons surged more than 111% and canary melon sales grew 133%.
Parker says this reflects a growing desire for variety in fresh produce.
“The organic consumer is highly discerning, so of course they’re going to seek out specialty varieties more often,” she says. “If you grow the right thing, put it out in the right stores to the right people, that organic discerning consumer is going to be really interested in it.”
Parker thinks organic shoppers will continue to seek out variety and specialty.
“Consumers shop with their stomachs and with an occasion in mind,” she says.
The best strategy for retailers, she notes, is not one-size-fits-all. Instead, each company should figure out what sells in their region and in individual stores, then stock and display products accordingly.
Organic Spinach: Strong to the Finish
In the organic vegetables category, fresh spinach topped the last year’s dollar sales at $655 million (up 1.4% year-over-year), along with carrots at $571 million (up 4.8%) and tomatoes at $343 million (up 2.2%). Carrots, sweetpotatoes/yams and potatoes were the biggest volume sellers.
Fresh corn had an especially good year, gaining nearly 75% in dollar sales and more than 97% in volume sales, according to Circana.
Peterson says organic broccoli crowns performed well at Oliver’s Market locations in 2025, along with broccolini from California’s Central Coast region.
“Broccolini has just done incredibly well,” Peterson says. “Lakeside Organics has a proprietary seed that’s diamonds every time we get it. There are a couple other farms that grow a different variety of broccolini, and they’re still really good.”
In the lettuces and greens realm, Peterson says organic microgreens were trending last year, along with red and green butter lettuces. Chicories from local farms also saw a sales surge last year.
“They’re growing five or six different varieties,” he says. “We’ve been going crazy with it, and it’s still a pretty high price point. They look beautiful on the rack.”
Circana figures show fresh salads and leafy greens experienced slight year-over-year declines in both dollar and volume sales. Retail sales dipped 1.9% year-over-year to $2 billion, and volume sales decreased 1.5%. Fresh spinach led the category, followed by fresh lettuce and salad kits.
Parker says the category’s volume decline may be due to competition from greenhouse-grown options. Many shoppers view both organic and controlled environmental agriculture as environmentally sustainable options, she says, and they tend to swap between them.
Average Pricing Dip for Organic
According to Fresh Trends 2026, shoppers are willing to pay higher prices for environmentally friendly products. When asked how much more they are willing to pay for organic fresh fruits and vegetables compared to conventionally grown, 34% of all organic produce buyers indicated they would pay up to 10% extra and another 31% said they are comfortable paying 10% to 24% more.
Circana figures show the average price per volume for organic produce declined 0.7% during the past year following a similar decrease in 2024. During the same period, price per volume for conventional produce increased 0.5%.
“Those statistically wouldn’t even be truly considered price changes in a normal year,” Parker says. “Those would be subtle mixed shifts, typically driven by seasonality and availability.”
What makes the changes noteworthy for this period, she explains, is how they compare to increases in other areas of the store.
“In center-store food and beverages — so, frozen and grocery aisles — we’re still seeing a 3% to 5% year-over-year price increase across the board,” says Parker. “Any of these numbers in a normal year would be a nonevent and we’d be talking about organic demand growing. But colored by affordability, and affordability in other parts of the store, it’s even more remarkable.”
At Oliver’s Market, where organic accounts for 60% of produce sales, pricing remained stable during the past year. Peterson says this likely contributed to overall volume sales growth in the low single digits.
“A lot of our product is protected with contracts and agreements,” he says, citing a longtime relationship with San Francisco-based supplier Earl’s Organic Produce. “That allowed us to keep our retail prices down, so we didn’t see a lot of inflation on some of the key commodities — that would be broccoli and cauliflower and zucchini.”
When it comes to organic produce, Parker says she’d like to see the industry do a better job determining price points rather than retailers relying on their own supply data.
“Dollar sales for center store and frozen are growing at a much faster rate than fresh,” she says. “They’re being very intentional and strategic about promotions, about price points, and they’re understanding at what point the volume will erode.”
If retailers make pricing decisions based only on shipments, she adds, “You are 50 years behind what your cousins and other aisles are doing, and they’re weathering this affordability storm with much more profitable results. The opportunity is even more vast in organic, because you not only have to get the price right of the whole commodity, you have to get the price gap right and the price threshold right.”
With artificial intelligence tools, she notes, it’s faster and easier than ever to calculate price sensitivity for organic produce.
“Demand is there, the data’s there and the technology’s there,” she says.
Promoting Organic
Though social media has become an important tool in promoting organic produce, Oliver’s Market has found success with tried-and-true methods.
“Our weekly ad program drives our organic produce business,” Peterson says.
Teams from the company’s four stores meet each week to collaborate on ideas, themes and promotions that give shoppers an opportunity to try organic products at affordable price points.
Oliver’s also posts hundreds of informational signs in the produce section describing the flavor profiles of different commodities and offering preparation tips.
Though the company isn’t particularly active on social media, “I think what we’re doing is working,” Peterson says.
Jacobs of OPA says the industry can increase consumer engagement in the coming years by educating consumers about what organic means, how products are grown and the benefits of organic agriculture.
“There is also significant opportunity to make organic produce feel more approachable and accessible through strategic pricing, balanced assortments and merchandising strategies that integrate organic products within everyday shopping experiences, rather than separating them from conventional produce offerings,” she says.
