Millennials-And Their Future Children-Mean Bright Future For Organics

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , October 3, 2017 (Off The Menu) – Notice to makers of organic products: Millennials remain your bread and butter, and will be for the foreseeable future.

That’s at least according to the Organic Trade Association, which according to itswhose survey states that U.S. millennials already are major buyers of organic products and will likely purchase even more when they become parents. Twenty-five percent of millennials are currently parents, and that number will increase to 80% in the next 10-to-15 years, the survey said.

“Millennials are the largest consumer group in the United States, and they’re choosing organic. As more members of this generation become parents, their presence in the organic market will just get stronger,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association.

“This year’s survey findings clearly show the positive relationship between organic and parenting. Exciting times lie ahead for the organic sector. Over the next 10 years, we’ll see a surge of new organic eaters and consumers — the Millennial parents of tomorrow and their children.”

One of the potential bright spots when it comes to millennials and organic products seems to be online grocery shopping. According to the survey, 40% of millennials shop for groceries online, compared to 30% of older parents. Additionally, 20% percent of those surveyed said they like the quality of organic produce purchased online, 17% said online grocery shopping is a convenient and easy way to shop organic, and 10% reported an increase in organic purchases because of online shopping.

All in all, millennials and their future children point to a bright future for organics, Bacha said.

“Americans are eating more organic than ever before. Organic sales reached nearly $50 billion last year, driven in large part by the millennial consumer,” Batcha said. “Millennials having children over the next 10 – 15 years are projected to be a generation of highly engaged organic consumers. Our continually expanding knowledge about millennials will help us inform this important generation of consumers and give these future parents the necessary tools to enable them to make the best choices for their families.”

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence and is also Menuism’s fast food expert. Email him at Nevin.Barich@industryintel.com or follow him on Twitter.

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