The National Organic Program: An Opportunity for Industry

Sales of organic foods reached approximately $5.6 million in the United States last year, up from $4.7 million in 1999, signaling consumers’ willingness to buy organic. Organic sales in the European Union, the largest market for organic food outside the U.S, reached approximately $14 billion last year, achieving a yearly growth of nearly 25% over the past ten years. The Natural Marketing Institute reported that 43% of the general U.S. population consumed organic foods in 2000. Changes in agricul…