Organic Fresh Trends 2023: 22% of shoppers buy for organic kale

Kale can be enjoyed many ways, and organic kale is increasing as the first choice of many when they are looking for the nutritious, leafy green vegetable.

The Packer’s Organic Fresh Trends 2023 survey is valuable to marketers and retailers seeking to answer the question, “Who is my organic consumer?” In mid-October of 2022, more than 1,000 U.S. consumers were asked about their organic purchasing habits. 

Organic Fresh Trends 2023 found that 22% of consumers shop for organic kale, nearly the same as 23% in 2022 and 21% in 2021.

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Sixty-one percent of consumers said they purchased organic kale at least periodically in the Organic Fresh Trends 2023 survey, up from 48% in 2022 and 47% and 2021.

By region, the heaviest consumers of organic kale, according to The Packer’s research, are in the South and the Northeast.

Younger, higher-income shoppers also characterize the most likely consumers of organic kale, according to the survey.

Are you attending The Packer's Global Organic Produce Expo? Click here to learn more. 

Thirty percent of consumers earning more than $100,000 said they exclusively shop for organic kale, compared with 17% for those earning $50,000 to $100,000, 29% for those earning between $25,000 to $50,000 and 11% for those earning under $25,000.

IRI data shows that organic kale sales in 2021 totaled $99.4 million, down 3.7% from the previous year. Organic kale accounted for a massive 46% of total retail kale sales, according to IRI scan data, and organic kale made up 1.3% of total organic produce sales in 2021.