Why is organic farming a growing trend in the USA?

Consumers are starting to see the connection between health, diet and the environment. In 2016, organic food sales in the U.S. certified to be $43 billion which is $3.3 billion more from the previous year. And the growth doesn’t seem to slow down anytime soon. Between 2016 and 2021 the global organic food market is expected to increase for more than 14% as estimated by a recent TechSci Research Report which is why Organic Farming is increasing day by day. You must be thinking about what exactly are the health benefits and why is it so popular. Read on to fetch answers to your questions.

What is Organic?

Though some consumers pay more for foods labelled as organic, most of them do not understand what organic means. Sometimes they confuse it with natural on food packaging. The organic certification which you see on products depicts that the food lacks antibiotics, synthetic pesticides, growth hormones, irradiation or artificial colours. Organic farms must also adhere to certain welfare and animal health standards. Also, the land should not be treated with any prohibited substance for 3 years prior to harvest.

Benefits of Organic:

Organic is more of a return how things used to be, though with more streamlined supply chains, better equipment and having the benefit of modern marketing and retailing. The major contributors to today’s organic trend are flavour and taste. As stated by the consumers, the organic vegetables and fruits had better taste and flavours which conventional products lacked.

Another factor assisting in organic’s popularity is nutrients. Though there ongoing debates going on about the nutritional content in the food, still it is mostly preferred over other conventional foods. Food additives posses serious health issues

Growing Trend in the U.S.

In recent years, federal spending on organic agriculture has grown. The Farm Act of 2014 has helped the organic producers with the cost of organic certification. Also, recently an $867 billion farm bill was passed by the Congress that includes funding of organic farming research.

According to four out of ten U.S. adults (39%), most or some of the foods that they eat are organic whereas 61% people say a little or no organics are included in their diet. Organics foods are preferred mostly by the younger Americans and they believe that even if consuming a small amount of organic food provides better health benefits. While 51% of U.S. adults believe that organic foods neither provide benefit nor cause any health issues, around 45% project organic food as the better alternative.