The USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) said in a new report Wednesday that the one factor that consistently influences the likelihood of a consumer’s buying organic products is education.

The new report, “Marketing US Organic Foods: Recent Trends From Farms to Consumers,” said the number and variety of consumers of organic products has increased, but those consumers are not easily categorized.

Consumers of all ages, races, and ethnic groups who have higher levels of education are more likely to buy organic products than less-educated consumers.

Other factors, such as race, presence of children in the household, and income, do not have a consistent effect on the likelihood of buying organic products.

To read the report, click here.

The report said U.S. organic-industry growth is evident in an expanding number of retailers selling a wider variety of foods, the development of private-label product lines by many supermarkets, and the widespread introduction of new products.

A broader range of consumers has been buying more varieties of organic food.

Organic handlers, who purchase products from farmers and often supply them to retailers, sell more organic products to conventional retailers and club stores than ever before.

Only one segment has not kept pace - organic farms have struggled at times to produce suffi cient supply to keep up with the rapid growth in demand, leading to periodic shortages of organic products.