The State of North American Organic Produce: A Closer Look at Post-Pandemic Trends and Emerging Issues

Report summary

The impacts of the pandemic on retail prices, volumes, and premiums differed by product, depending on the degree of convenience for at-home meal preparation and other supply chain-specific factors. Given these differing impacts, supply expansion should be tailored to the product. However, in the case of most fruits, caution is warranted.

In a relevant development, a US district court ruled that soil-free farms can legally keep their organic label, strengthening their momentum. For some major products, the gains from an organic label exceed those from a local label. Moreover, year-round deliveries can be optimized to take advantage of premium seasonality. All of these factors will give soil-free farms a competitive advantage.