April 21/Brattleboro, Vt./PRNewswire -- The organic industry grew at a rate of nearly 8% in 2010, bucking the current trend whereby "flat is the new growth" for many other segments of the economy. Further, some sectors of the organic market enjoyed annual growth of well over 30%, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) revealed in releasing findings from its “2011 Organic Industry Survey.” In 2010, the organic industry grew to over $28.6 billion.
"While total U.S. food sales grew by less than 1% in 2010, the organic food industry grew by 7.7%," said Christine Bushway, OTA's CEO and executive director. "Consumers continue to vote with their dollars in favor of the organic choice. These results illustrate the positive contribution organic agriculture and trade make to our economy, and particularly to rural livelihoods," Bushway said.