Data Sets

Procurement and Contracting by Organic Handlers: Procurement Data


Procurement and Contracting by Organic Handlers Procurement Data Contract Data List of Data Tables About This Product Documentation Download Data

This data table is from the organic handlers procurement data, which provides information such as handler operational and purchasing characteristics. Procurement data include information on 9 commodity groups and 45 commodities at the national, regional, and/or State level from 1,038 handling facilities. For more information, see the Documentation.

Tip: Select a commodity first, then a location.
Commodity:	Location:

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All Commodities Combined in National Totals

Basic characteristics of handlers
Range of number of handlers over 40

Function 1/ 2/	Manufacturers/processors	52%
	All other functions	33%

	All handlers	Manufacturer/ processor	All other functions
Size of firm 3/	Percent of handlers 4/
Small	58%	59%	60%
Medium	33%	33%	31%
Large	9%	7%	9%
Operational characteristics
Converted or expanded to organic from conventional	77%	76%	69%
Began as an organic facility	23%	24%	31%
Handles both organic and nonorganic products	83%	80%	79%
Handles only organic products	17%	20%	21%

Purchasing characteristics of handlers

	All handlers	Manufacturer/ processor	All other functions
Geography of purchasing 5/	Percent of handlers
Buys locally (within one hour's drive) (any amount)	38%	38%	40%
Buys locally (more than half)	23%	22%	20%
Buys regionally (within the State or surrounding States) (any amount)	50%	55%	51%
Buys regionally (more than half)	31%	32%	28%
Buys nationally (any amount)	46%	49%	45%
Buys nationally (more than half)	29%	28%	27%
Buys internationally (any amount)	35%	35%	42%
Buys internationally (more than half)	20%	19%	26%

Type of sales arrangement
Formal contract (written)	58%	60%	57%
Informal contract (e.g., handshake or verbal)	38%	41%	41%
Spot market	48%	52%	53%

Type of suppliers
Growers	54%	54%	63%
Marketing or growers' cooperative	19%	19%	21%
Manufacturer/wholesaler	52%	57%	50%
Agents/brokers	28%	31%	27%

Assistance offered to suppliers
Recruits existing organic suppliers	42%	43%	51%
Works with organic suppliers in business for less than 1 year	32%	33%	40%
Provides technical advice on organic standards or production	31%	32%	40%
Works with suppliers to increase production	32%	31%	41%
Accepts shipments that are less than a full carload	36%	37%	46%
Assists farmers with transitioning into organic	34%	35%	45%

Characteristics of the handler-supplier relationship
	All handlers				Manufacturer/processor				All other functions
	Always	Sometimes	Never	Don't know	Always	Sometimes	Never	Don't know	Always	Sometimes	Never	Don't know
Supplier requirements	Percent of handlers
Organic certificates	97%	2%	1%	1%	97%	1%	1%	1%	96%	2%	1%	1%
Product specifications for packaging and merchandising	50%	20%	25%	5%	48%	22%	26%	5%	51%	21%	22%	6%
Testing to verify product claims (e.g., free of genetically modified organisms)	25%	27%	42%	6%	27%	27%	40%	6%	25%	29%	40%	6%
Third party food safety certification	19%	24%	48%	9%	17%	25%	48%	9%	17%	25%	50%	9%
Uniform product standards (e.g., size standards)	35%	20%	38%	7%	35%	21%	36%	7%	32%	22%	37%	8%
Minimum quality standards	62%	14%	18%	5%	60%	16%	17%	6%	61%	14%	17%	9%
Minimum quantity for shipments	25%	32%	36%	8%	23%	35%	35%	7%	22%	31%	36%	11%
Certifications for other attributes (e.g., kosher, fair trade)	34%	25%	35%	6%	36%	25%	34%	5%	28%	30%	32%	9%

	All handlers				Manufacturer/processor				All other functions
	High priority	Medium priority	Low priority	No difference	High priority	Medium priority	Low priority	No difference	High priority	Medium priority	Low priority	No difference
Ranking of Supplier Attributes	Percent of handlers
Local (near my facility)	37%	23%	18%	22%	39%	24%	19%	18%	33%	25%	17%	25%
Knowledge of organic products	57%	28%	8%	7%	58%	28%	9%	6%	60%	26%	7%	8%
Length of relationship with my facility	31%	36%	19%	14%	29%	37%	21%	13%	36%	34%	15%	14%
Length of time certified organic	14%	33%	33%	19%	12%	32%	37%	19%	17%	36%	30%	18%
Diversity of products available	19%	26%	29%	27%	16%	25%	33%	27%	22%	30%	24%	24%
Availability of year-round supply	49%	19%	15%	17%	52%	19%	15%	14%	44%	21%	17%	18%
Flexibility in meeting facility's needs	50%	32%	8%	10%	51%	33%	9%	7%	51%	31%	9%	10%
Reputation for quality	70%	21%	3%	6%	70%	23%	3%	5%	74%	18%	3%	5%
Price	45%	40%	8%	7%	45%	43%	7%	5%	43%	42%	7%	8%

N/A = Not available, not applicable, or not reportable for reasons of confidentiality (fewer than three respondents).
1/ Firms often reported more than one function; responses from a single firm may be reported in both the “Manufacturer/processor” and “All other functions” columns. Thus, summing across functions often exceeds 100 percent.
2/ Non-responses to all questions are not reported.
3/ Respondents self-identified their firm size as small, medium, or large.
4/ See the Documentation for how the percentages are calculated.
5/ See the Documentation for an indepth discussion on geography of purchasing.

For more information, contact: Carolyn Dimitri

Web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov

Updated date: November 26, 2007