Growing consumer attention to the health and environmental impact of food has significantly increased the demand for organic products, both in the United States and abroad. These developments have significant consequences for international trade. In just over a decade, the total value of U.S. imported organic products has nearly tripled, from $667 million in 2011 to about $2 billion in 2023. At the same time, U.S. exports have increased from $412 million to $582 million over the same period.
Most traded products
On the export side, the vast majority of organic trade consists of fruit and vegetables, which respectively accounted for approximately 60% and 30% of exports in 2023. On the import side, a different development has occurred. In 2011, US organic imports were mainly dominated by coffee and tea, which represented approximately 84% of imports at the time. Today, coffee and tea represent only 34% of U.S. organic imports. However, this does not mean that these imports have disappeared. In fact, the value of coffee and tea imports increased from $563 million to $673 million during this period. The decline in the import share of coffee and tea is actually due to the rapid expansion of imports of other organic products, especially fruit, which accounted for approximately 50% of organic imports in 2023.
US trading partners for organic products
Canada remains the largest market for U.S. organic products, with annual imports worth $7 million, followed by Mexico ($4 million), Japan ($0.9 million), Taiwan ($0.7 million) and South Korea ($0. 4 million). In terms of organic imports, Mexico is the top trading partner, shipping $11 million worth of organic products to the US annually. Peru, Colombia and Honduras follow as the second, third and fourth largest players respectively, with annual shipments of approximately $9 million, $7 million and $7 million worth of organic products to the US.
Source: farmprogress.com
