The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlighted opportunities for producing organic mushrooms and organic pet food in the United States.
According to the USDA, market data confirms that the organic mushroom and organic pet food sectors have significant growth potential. However, to achieve this goal, it is essential to remove barriers such as uncertainty and inconsistency.
Currently, both markets are underperforming compared to other organic sectors. For example, in 2023, organic product sales accounted for 15.2% of all product sales in the United States. However, mushrooms labeled as organic only reached 9.6% of total mushroom sales during the 2023-2024 marketing year.
On the other hand, the USDA defines organic agriculture as a production system that follows the guidelines of the Organic Foods Production Act. In addition, USDA regulations describe this approach as “a set of cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that encourage on-farm resource cycling, promote ecological balance, and preserve biodiversity.”
Organic Mushrooms
The USDA considers the consumer experience of buying mushrooms to be similar to that of buying fruits and vegetables. This is because both products are often packaged similarly and are found in the same section of supermarkets. However, this similarity suggests that some external barrier is limiting the growth of the organic mushroom market.
On the other hand, organic pet foods have a minimal market share. Currently, they account for only 0.32% of all pet food sales. The most comparable category is organic non-food products, which include items that are not for human consumption.
Pet food
In fact, all non-food products tracked by the Organic Trade Association vastly outperform organic pet food. These categories have a market share of between 0.76% and 3.3%, at least double that of pet food.
In addition, organic farming practices focus on sustainability. They include improving soil and water quality, conserving ecosystems such as wetlands and forests, and protecting wildlife. They also prohibit the use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation and genetic engineering.