Mexico’s Organic Market Thrives

SADER reported that in 2025, Mexico will remain one of the most competitive markets in organic production, thanks to coordinated efforts with producers and certifying companies. During the Ninth Annual Meeting with Organic Certification Bodies (OCO), José Luis Lara, Director of Agri-Food Safety and Organic Control at the National Service for Health, Safety, and Agri-Food Quality (SENASICA), highlighted the commitment of the country's 20 Organic Certification Bodies. Over the past decade, these organizations have demonstrated the technical capacity and infrastructure necessary to fully carry out their certification tasks as collaborators with the agency, he noted.

In April 2024, Mexico and Canada ratified the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recognizing the equivalence of organic products between the two nations. SADER and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) extended the memorandum’s validity until January 2027. This extension increases the diversity of organic products available in the market and benefits all actors in the production chain by reducing trade costs.

Lara noted that the signing of the MoU with Canada strengthened international market confidence and facilitated negotiations with US and EU authorities to establish similar mechanisms. In July 2024, trade delegations from Mexico and California met to address the challenges and opportunities that the organic market presents to entrepreneurs in both countries. According to SADER, the combined consumer potential of the two countries is 400 million and continues to grow due to high demand for organic products.

Regarding the European Union, new organic product regulations, effective Jan. 1, 2025, recognized Certimex, a Mexican certifier, as part of the global list of approved certifiers. The new regulation introduces changes in product traceability throughout the supply chain, from farm production to the export stage. Taurino Reyes, Executive Director, Certimex, explained that the certifier had already been applying these measures for years, highlighting their crucial role in enhancing transparency throughout the supply chain.

Nationally, organic production involves 48,874 farmers, primarily small-scale, who manage 246,899ha across Mexico’s 32 states. According to SADER, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Michoacan are leading producers of certified organic foods, including coffee, berries, and avocados. Additionally, Baja California, Chihuahua, and Sinaloa focus on grains, apples, nuts, vegetables, and mangoes. In Jalisco and Colima, notable products include agave, chia, and coconut.

Mexico ranks second globally in organic coffee production and wild harvesting and third in tropical fruit production. Over 300 plant-based foods are certified, including coffee, pepper, bananas, avocados, oranges, wheat, cocoa, cactus, corn, aromatic herbs, cinnamon, sugar, peanuts, safflowers, mangoes, chia, blackberries, oregano, agave, and xoconostle.

For animal-based foods, the largest production is honey and other beekeeping products, involving over 2,400 producers mostly from the southeastern region of the country. Additionally, more than 30 livestock producers are registered, offering products derived from cattle, poultry, goats, sheep, and water buffalo. Regarding processed products, at least 2,000 foods bear SADER’s organic seal. These include coffee, juices, pulps, dehydrated products, flour, oil, cheese, sotol, mezcal, sauces, cookies, and purees.