Beyond Organic 2024: Expanding Distinctions in Food & Beverage
As this marketplace continues to evolve, USDA Organic certification remains one of the most powerful symbols of natural food. However, growth has brought its halo and rigor into question. At the same time, expanding demands for stronger standards around environmental resilience and animal and worker welfare — exemplified by practices like regenerative agriculture — mark a new standard of quality beyond USDA Organic.
“Beyond Organic: Expanding Distinctions in Food & Beverage” equips readers with actionable insights to navigate where organic adds value, where its appeal diminishes and how to meet rising demand for outcomes beyond organic standards. Grounded in primary quantitative and qualitative research, the report offers a comprehensive consumer-based perspective for brands, retailers and manufacturers to identify which trends will maintain relevancy and where to spot opportunities for long-term growth, including spotlights on 22 categories in the organic food and beverage industry.
Published July 2024 | Report length: 129 pages | U.S. market coverage
- Executive summary
- General report (PowerPoint and PDF)
- Demographic data tables (Excel)
- Primary Quantitative Research: Online national survey April 22, 2024– May 2, 2024, n=3,042 U.S. primary shoppers aged 18-78. (MOE) ±1.8 pts at 95% confidence level.
Respondents recruited based on age-based quotas and balanced to match the 2024 Census Bureau Current Population Survey by gender, region, income, household structure and ethnicity.
- Primary Qualitative Research: Digital ethnographies: n=16 participants. Week-long immersive engagement via asynchronous virtual platform.
Follow-up in-depth interviews, n=8 participants. Hour-long interview delving into responses from digital ethnography.
- Methodology
- Executive summary
- Chapter 1: The World of Organic
- Chapter 2: Sustained strength of the organic halo
- Chapter 3: Sourcing dynamics
- Chapter 4: When the organic halo isn’t enough
- Chapter 5: Beyond organic
- Chapter 6: Navigating certifications and labeling
- Chapter 7: Category priorities and snapshots
- Fresh fruit or vegetables
- Fresh meat: chicken, turkey, pork, beef
- Plant-based meat alternatives
- Eggs
- Dairy yogurt
- Dairy milk
- Juice
- Milk alternatives
- Baby food
- Packaged meats
- Pasta and noodles
- Hot or cold cereal
- Prepared/ready-to-eat meals
- Canned/jarred/pouched fruits and vegetables
- Frozen fruits or vegetables
- Bars: energy, nutrition, protein, granola, cereal
- Seasonings/herbs
- Coffee
- Ready-to-drink tea
- Salty snacks
- Frozen meals or snacks
- Spreads: nut butters, honey, jams/preserves
- Chapter 8: Implications and Recommendations
- Where organic participation remains strong but varied amidst challenging economic conditions
- Hartman Group’s proprietary World of Organic segmentation, which underscores how attitudes and behaviors among the most engaged groups influence other segments and point to future mainstream demands
- How to identify opportunities for product development and positioning
- The evolution of organic in parallel with consumer doubts regarding the strength and rigor of the organic certification
- Where your brand or company can make the greatest impact
