Certified Organic Foods On the Rise
“Organic” has become an extremely appealing word to consumers.
From packages of banana flavored yogurt to bags of crunchy green snacks, the word organic is making its way onto many products we purchase at the grocery store. Grocery stores now have designated organic aisles that have quickly become crowded with shoppers.
To clarify, organic products are grown without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, etc.
Organic products are naturally grown and produced. Organic farmers use renewable resources to enhance the environmental quality of their products. Organic products are appealing to customers because the food is considered cleaner than foods not identified as organic.
There are now over 12,000 certified organic farms in the United States.
Organic farms have seen sales increase in the past year from 2014 to 2015 by 13 percent. Trends show people are committed to purchasing organic products, and each year sales increase. Although many people picture rows of colorful fruits and vegetables when they picture organic foods, milk and eggs are also offered organically. In fact, milk and eggs combined were the most purchased organic food category of 2015 (compared to meats, fruits, and vegetables) at 1.9 billion dollars.
Due to the success of organic food in stores, U.S. organic food producers plan to continue to produce more organic foods.
Organic foods are becoming an industry standard, and many stores are doing what they can to provide organic products to their customers.
For bakers, it is important to recognize the organic trend because it is something consumers are seeking out in the products they seek.
By customizing baked goods to meet organic standards, your products will appeal to a wider audience.
For instance, if you wanted to offer organic vanilla cupcakes in your bakery, you would have to focus on purchasing organic ingredients for the cupcakes from organic flower to organic butter. By purchasing all organic ingredients, your finished product would be an organic vanilla cupcake.
It is possible for bakers to provide organic products in their bakeries, although it does require more effort and in some cases, more money depending on the desired ingredients. However, organic products appeal to a mass amount of people, and the amount is increasing on a daily basis.