Editor's blog: Canned veggies a surprising organic favorite

I recently purchased a can of diced and fire-roasted organic tomatoes with organic green chiles from my local Trader Joe’s. Good product. I will purchase it again. But when I purchased it the first time, I didn’t realize I was buying one of the most popular organic categories among store brands.

The most-favored fare among private label organic products in order are fresh produce, milk and eggs. No surprise there. But No. 4 on the list, according to research from Daymon, is a bit of an eye-opener — it’s canned organic vegetables.

Carl Jorgensen, Daymon’s director of global thought leadership/wellness, says canned organic beans are especially popular.

“The perception among wellness consumers is that canned beans are more convenient than soaking and cooking dry beans,” Jorgensen says.

Organic snacks, cereal, coffee and frozen vegetables/fruits are also growing in volume, Jorgensen says. And anything to do with infants, from organic baby food to organic baby lotion, is also driving the segment’s growth.

Organic pet food and pet care products are also surging.

Overall, organic is spurring store brand sales. According to Daymon, private brands represent about 20 percent of overall food and beverage sales, but 30 percent among all organic items.

Store Brands’ recent 2017 State of the Industry Survey reveals that 72 percent of retailers/wholesalers surveyed are offering organic/natural products as an emerging product line. Forty-six percent of retailers/wholesalers surveyed say they have increased their focus on the category. More retailers/wholesalers are also offering a fourth tier of private brands — that being an organic line.