Organic Fresh Trends: What shoppers and the numbers say about blueberries

Overview of organic blueberries in the U.S. market, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on December 26, 2023.

Editor’s note: The following report is from The Packer’s Organic Fresh Trends 2024, which provides insight based on survey responses from consumers. Since 1983, The Packer has sponsored major consumer studies to track trends in the purchases and consumption of fresh produce, documenting the fluctuation in purchases of specific fruits and vegetables as well as changing attitudes toward industry issues.

Organic blueberry sales and volume were both up in 2022, according to retail numbers from Circana.

The bump up in sales reflects a long-term trend for all fresh blueberries. The USDA reports retail per capita availability of fresh blueberries nearly doubled in 10 years, from 1.2 pounds in 2011 to 2.3 pounds in 2022.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Retail sales of organic blueberries totaled $410 million in 2022, up 4.1% from 2021. Pounds sold in 2022 topped 59 million, up 8.1% from 2021. Finally, the price per pound of organic blueberries in 2022 was $6.91, down 3.7% from 2021.

The Packer’s Organic Fresh Trends 2024 survey found that younger consumers, ethnic minorities, and households with children more often reported purchasing organic blueberries compared with their counterparts.

In addition, survey data showed that women were more likely to shop for organic blueberries compared with men.

Organic retail sales — Blueberries 2022

• Pounds sold: 59.4 million
• Average retail price per pound: $6.91
• Retail sales: $410 million
• Percent of total organic produce sales:  5%
• Organic percent of retail blueberry sales: 17%
• Change in sales from last year: Up 4.1%

Source: Circana

Organic purchasing patterns of blueberries

• Organic only: 19%
• Organic at least some of the time: 44%*

*Includes consumers who purchase only organic blueberries and those who purchase a combination of both organic and conventional fruit.

Reported ORGANIC ONLY purchase by age*

• 18-29: 38%
• 30-39: 31%
• 40-49: 28%
• 50-59: 18%
• 60+: 5%

*Considering primary household buyers

Reported ORGANIC ONLY purchase by ethnicity

• Black/African American: 41%
• Asian: 26%
• Hispanic: 24%
• white/Caucasian: 15%
• Other: 21%

Reported ORGANIC ONLY purchase by household income*

• $100k+:  19%
• $50k<$100k: 18%
• $25k<$50k: 20%
• Less than $25k: 22%

*Figures based on annual household income

Reported ORGANIC ONLY purchase by gender

• Women: 21%
• Men: 17%

Reported ORGANIC ONLY purchase by region

• South: 25%
• Midwest: 22%
• West: 17%
• Northeast: 16%

Reported ORGANIC ONLY purchase by presence of children at home

• 1 kid: 30%
• 2 kids: 21%
• 3 or more kids: 15%
• No kids: 16%

The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.

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