Organic continues to gain ground in the US food and beverage marketplace, but sales growth tells only part of the story.
US sales of organic products reached $71.6 billion in 2024, an increase of 5.2% from the previous year, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA). Organic growth was twice that of the overall food marketplace, providing evidence that consumers continue to put their dollars behind the category.
Understanding “why” consumers gravitate toward these products, however, may be more useful for food and beverage product developers.
Research from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) suggests that organic is part of a much broader collection of attributes consumers use to evaluate how their food is produced.
Organic Is One Signal Among Many
IFIC’s 2025 Food & Health Survey found that 30% of Americans look for an organic claim when shopping for food and beverages. But organic does not rank first among the production-related claims consumers seek.
“Natural” leads the list at 41%, followed by “no hormones or steroids” at 38%. One-third of consumers look for locally grown products, while 32% seek “raised without antibiotics.” Organic and non-GMO claims each attract 30%.
The findings come from IFIC’s survey of 3,000 US adults ages 18 to 80, conducted in March 2025 and weighted to reflect the US population.
For product developers, the hierarchy is noteworthy. Consumers aren’t necessarily evaluating products through the lens of organic certification alone. Instead, a collection of cues involving ingredients, agricultural practices, sourcing and production methods may contribute to their assessment of a product.
That creates a broader question for developers: Rather than asking only whether a product should be organic, which production attributes are most relevant to the product, category and target consumer?
Consumers Want to Know Where Food Comes From
IFIC’s findings also point toward a larger interest in food origins.
Nearly six in 10 Americans, 59%, say knowing where their food comes from is important, up from 51% when IFIC asked the question in 2017. Another 54% say it is important that food be consistently available locally.
Environmental considerations add another dimension. IFIC found that 59% of consumers consider it important that the foods they purchase or consume be produced in an environmentally sustainable way, compared with 53% in 2021.
Yet that doesn’t necessarily mean consumers seek an explicit sustainability claim when they reach the shelf.
IFIC found that 21% look for “sustainably sourced” claims when shopping, considerably fewer than the 41% who seek “natural” or the 30% who look for organic. The difference between consumers saying an issue is important and actively seeking a related label claim illustrates one of the challenges facing product developers.
Consumer values don’t always translate neatly into a single front-of-pack message.
The Claim Portfolio
Research from the US Department of Agriculture provides another indication that production claims can operate together rather than independently.
A 2025 USDA Economic Research Service study examining claims on US milk and yogurt products found that natural claims were more prevalent than organic claims. It also found that USDA Organic products were more likely than conventional products to carry animal-welfare and non-GMO claims.
The findings suggest a potential “claim portfolio” approach to product positioning. Organic certification can provide one signal, while other substantiated attributes may communicate additional information about ingredients, sourcing or production.
That doesn’t mean more claims are automatically better. Each sourcing requirement, certification or formulation restriction can introduce additional considerations involving ingredient availability, cost, supplier verification, manufacturing and regulatory compliance.
Instead, the opportunity may lie in identifying combinations that have particular relevance to a product’s target consumer.
Natural Versus Organic
IFIC’s results also reveal an important distinction between “natural” and “organic.” Despite the regulatory structure and certification requirements surrounding organic production, more consumers in the survey reported seeking “natural” claims.
OTA’s consumer research provides another perspective. A survey conducted with Euromonitor International among more than 2,500 US consumers examined familiarity with USDA Organic alongside competing claims including “natural” and regenerative, as well as consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for organic products. OTA reported particularly strong engagement with organic among Millennial and Gen Z consumers.
These findings make understanding the distinctions among claims increasingly important. Consumers may encounter natural, organic, non-GMO, locally grown and sustainability-related messages within the same shopping trip—and sometimes on the same package.
The development challenge is determining which attributes provide meaningful differentiation and which simply add complexity.
From Clean Label to Production Transparency
Taken together, the research points toward a larger trend that could be described as “production transparency.”
Consumers aren’t only asking what is in a product. Increasingly, they are also interested in where ingredients come from and how food is produced.
That expands the traditional clean-label conversation. Ingredient lists and recognizable ingredients remain part of the equation, but sourcing practices, agricultural methods, certification and supply-chain information can provide another layer of information about the finished product.
Ingredient selection can affect whether a natural positioning is possible. Agricultural practices can support specific production claims. Supplier selection can determine whether sourcing promises are achievable at scale. Organic certification introduces its own production, handling and documentation requirements.
The result is a closer connection between “formulation, sourcing and positioning.”
Organic’s continued marketplace growth suggests consumers remain willing to support products carrying the certification. But IFIC’s research provides an important reminder: Organic does not exist in isolation.
Understanding the broader hierarchy of consumer priorities may be just as important as deciding which claim ultimately appears on the package.