New Nielsen findings released by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) show that 82.3% of American households have organic food in their kitchens. This is a 3.4% increase from 2015. In the first comprehensive look at organic purchases by households on a state-by-state level, the nationally representative Nielsen study of 100,000 households conducted in 2015 and 2016 reported that more households than ever bought organic food on a regular basis throughout 2016.
The Nielsen findings show several states in which 90% or more of households now buy organic on a regular basis, with even the lowest levels all hovering around 70%. The five states seeing the biggest increases in households reporting organic purchases were:
Organic food sales in the United States now total around $40 billion annually, and account for around 5% of total food sales in this country. According to the Organic Trade Association’s 2016 U.S. Organic Industry Survey, total organic food sales in 2015 were $39.7 billion, up 11% from the previous year.