Organic food is a growing market in the US. Consumers are willing to pay as much as a 50% premium to buy products that are grown without the use of toxic and chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Products must meet strict US Agriculture Dept. regulations in order to carry the organic label. Organic products are still a small segment of the market -- accounting for just 2.5% of all retail food sales in the U.S. -- but one thats growing rapidly. Organics rang up nearly $14 billion in sales in 2005, a 30% increase from the previous year, according to the Organic Trade Association. But along with the double-digit growth rates, supply shortages of everything from organic oats to organic milk are beginning to rise.
Experts are warning that what is now an intermittent problem could escalate into a full-blown crisis, since more and more supermarkets are fast expanding their organic aisles.