Organic Trade Reaches $3.4 Billion in 2021

Earlier this week, Economic Research Service reported organic trade reached $3.4 billion in 2021.  Since 2011, there has been an uptick in the total value of imported organic products, partially because more products are being tracked and partially because more high-value organic products, such as blueberries and squash, are being imported into the United States.  The United States also exports organic food, and those exports have been steadily rising since 2011, reaching $700 million in 2021.

For example, the United States exported 2.4 thousand metric tons of organic fresh cultivated blueberries, with more than 90% headed to Canada in 2021.  In the same year, the United States imported 41.5 thousand metric tons of organic fresh cultivated blueberries.

Importers of organic products must either be USDA-certified or belong to a trading partner with an organic recognition agreement with the United States.  Countries with such agreements include Canada, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. 

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