Certifying Organic

The organic food and beverage market in the United States grew by 9.4% in 2011 to $29.2 billion, representing 4.2% of the total $703 billion U.S. food and beverage market, according to the 2012 Organic Industry Survey conducted by the Organic Trade Association (www.ota.com). And according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), 28,779 organic farms and processing operations in 133 countries, including about 17,600 in the U.S., are certified as meeting the USDA’s organic regulations.

The US…