Sales of organic food climbed to record highs in 2016.
In a new report, the Organic Trade Association says organic products now account for more than 5 percent of total U.S. food sales – that’s $43 billion.
Iowa State University sociologist Carmen Bain says the movement that once considered itself a bit of a counter-culture has become almost conventionalized.
"So I think there’s a real tension among some producers, organic producers, consumers, advocacy groups, and so forth about what direction to they want organic to go in," Bain says.
With organic products now coming from some of the nation’s largest growers and processors, many early advocates have turned their attention to small, local farms.