How American farmers are losing out on the organic food boom to other countries | Fortune

"The U.S. share of the global organic food market is estimated at 40%. In short, the U.S. is heavily dependent on other countries for 60% of these goods. This glaring trade imbalance means dollars that could support American farms and rural communities are flowing to foreign producers overseas. It represents billions of dollars in lost revenue left on the table here at home."

"The global organic market is projected to hit $120 billion by 2030. Unless American farmers can meet consumer demand, others clearly will. The longer we delay scaling up our domestic organic production, the harder it becomes to reclaim that ground. This lag is unfolding as freshly imposed tariffs on countries around the world are raising the cost of food for Americans, according to a recent analysis from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation."

"Here's the gist of the problem: Less than 1% of U.S. farmland is certified organic. That gap is largely if not singularly responsible for the U.S. straggling competitively. Meantime, consumer demand for organic food in the U.S., whether in grocery chains or school cafeterias, is no fad. It's soaring. Last year, U.S. organic food sales, despite inflation pressures cooling and other food categories stagnating, grew 5.2% to hit a record $71.6 billion."

U.S. supermarket shelves increasingly feature organic products imported from Canada, South America, and Europe, including grains, produce and dairy. The United States holds an estimated 40% of the global organic market, leaving 60% supplied by foreign producers. Less than 1% of U.S. farmland is certified organic, constraining domestic production and causing billions in potential revenue to flow overseas. Global organic demand is growing, with the market forecast to reach $120 billion by 2030 while U.S. organic sales rose to $71.6 billion last year. Tariffs on foreign goods are raising food costs, increasing urgency to expand U.S. organic acreage.

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