USDA: Organic is on rise in U.S.

The USDA has released 2011 numbers showing there were 478 more organic farms and processing facilities in the U.S. at the end of 2011 than at the same time in 2010.

At the close of the year, there were 17,675 farms and processing facilities in the U.S. certified to USDA organic standards. That marks a 240 percent increase since tracking by USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) began in 2002.

Worldwide, there are 28,779 certified organic operators across 133 countries. That is actually a slight decrease from 2010, which FDA says reflects the lack of operations based in Canada due to the U.S./Canada Organic Equivalency Arrangement.

According to FDA, products certified by either country may be sold as organic in the other, which means Canadian operations no longer need to maintain certification to USDA organic standards to sell organic products in the U.S. Starting June 1, that will also hold true for operations in EU member states.

The NOP also has updated the list of certified organic operators. It’s available at the NOP website.

While the list has been updated annually, the NOP says it is working to develop a system to permit more frequent updates with the goal of providing real-time information.