US organic foods industry creates more jobs

PRODUCING U.S. foods organically create thousands more jobs than if that food were produced using conventional agricultural methods, shows a new economic study commissioned by the Organic Trade Association. According to the “2010 Impacts of the U.S. Organic Foods Industry on the U.S. Economy,” the organic food industry generated more than 500,000 American jobs in 2010. This builds on OTA data released earlier in the month that the overall U.S. organic market in 2011 surpassed $31 billion for the first time.

For every $1 billion in retail sales of organic products, 28,000 more jobs were created throughout the economy, the report said. The use of organically produced ingredients also resulted in the creation of 21% more jobs than would have been generated if the food industry had relied solely on conventional farms for its ingredients.