North America Specialty Crop Market – Industry Trends and Forecast to 2029

North America Specialty Crop Market Analysis and Insights

Fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops are examples of specialty crops (including floriculture). They also contain exotic plants grown in a particular area due to topographical and climatic characteristics. A paradigm shift in consumer eating behaviors has been documented due to population growth and an increase in per capita disposable income, directly affecting the demand for wholesome food. Other factors boosting the market for specialized crops include increased urbanization, ethnic diversity, health concerns, and changes in demographic characteristics. The primary drivers of the specialty crops industry include the expanding application range of specialty crops, encouraging government initiatives, and free trade policies. However, expansion is constrained by trade and environmental constraints.

Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the North America specialty crop market will grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period of 2022 to 2029.

Market Definition

Fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops are examples of specialty crops (including floriculture). They also contain exotic plants grown in a particular area due to topographical and climatic characteristics. A paradigm shift in consumer eating behaviors has been documented due to population growth and an increase in per capita disposable income, directly affecting the demand for wholesome food. Other factors boosting the market for specialized crops include increased urbanization, ethnic diversity, health concerns, and changes in demographic characteristics.

North America Specialty Crop Market Dynamics

This section deals with understanding the market drivers, advantages, opportunities, restraints, and challenges. All of this is discussed in detail below:

Drivers:

• Rising inclination of consumers toward vegan food, natural and healthy foods

As a conscious consumer, it is a particularly beneficial way of life because turning vegan would entirely isolate oneself from dangerous antibiotics, hormones, and adulteration, which is widespread culture to ensure prolonged shelf life for most animal goods. As exports grow and the world shrinks, more preservatives and chemical compositions are used to ensure that the food survives the journey. Veganism is also a non-violent lifestyle choice. People's increased health consciousness leads them to include more healthful items in their diets, such as medicinal herbs, spices, and nuts.

Thus, the rising inclination towards vegan and healthy food due to the rise in awareness of nutritional and medicinal benefits is expected to as a driver for specialty crop market growth.

• The increased focus of consumers on healthy living

The North America market for specialty crops is being driven by a growing desire for a healthy lifestyle among people. The growing consumer preference for healthy lifestyles has become a driver for the creation of demand for specialty crops. Regardless of industry, many pioneers have considered this driver and are actively investing in specialty crop-based companies. An important aspect of leading a healthy lifestyle is eating healthy foods such as food made from specialized crops. A nutritious diet is critical for optimal health and nutrition. It protects against a wide range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. A healthy diet includes eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugar, saturated fat, and industrially generated trans fats. Also, increased knowledge of the advantages of a healthy lifestyle causes consumers to select the best healthy food products, which include foods manufactured with specialty crops such as nuts, spices, herbs, and so on.

Thus, the increasing awareness and knowledge of the advantages of a healthy lifestyle cause consumers to select the best healthy food products, such as specialty crop products, eventually becoming a major driving force for specialty crop market growth.

Restraints

• Strict regulations for food products

For a number of reasons, specialty crops are particularly vulnerable to the prevalence of foodborne illnesses. It might be challenging to completely clean or sanitize specialized crops because they are frequently consumed raw or with little preparation, depending on the particular fruit or vegetable. As technology advances, issues such as responsibility and laws are becoming more crucial. To reduce the dangers of foodborne illnesses as much as possible, specialty crop producers must be aware of the rules that may impact their business. Due to these reasons, food regulatory bodies such as Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") and the Food Safety and Inspection Service ("FSIS") kept strict rules and regulations for these crop production.

Thus, these regulations will create a barrier for many entrepreneurs to start and continue the market of specialty crops, which may act as a major restrain for the market growth.

• Limited crop growing facilities for specialty crops

Producers of specialty crops rely largely on seasonal labor inputs. A country's food supply, especially its fresh fruit and vegetable supply, may be in jeopardy if there is insufficient labor to meet agricultural and animal demands. Farmers are forced to sell their produce at low prices to local money lenders due to inadequate transportation. Farmers are unable to keep their food when prices are low since there aren't enough warehouses available. Therefore, these account greatly for the low production of specialty crops. This many lacks of facilities from production to marketing become a major barrier to market growth.

Thus, the lack of various crop cultivation facilities such as irrigation, seeds, fertilizers, transport, and others function may act as a restraint to the market's growth.

Opportunity

• Government initiatives and free trade policies

Positive government measures, such as sales and marketing efforts, plant pest and disease prevention, and research & development, all contribute to the expansion of specialty crops. Access to international markets helps the specialty crop business grow while also supporting the livelihoods of those working on farms and in related industries. Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administers initiatives to open up domestic and worldwide markets for American producers of food, fiber, and specialty crops. In order to guarantee the availability and quality of healthy food for customers across the nation, the government has taken several initiatives. The government also provided a food assistance program to help specialized crop producers. This help was provided to encourage the development of specialist crops, such as horticulture, tree nuts, fruits, vegetables, and indigo.

Challenges

• Allergies associated with tree nuts crops

Nuts are among the number one cause of food allergy. There appear to be differences in the frequency of nut allergy between countries because of other dietary habits and cooking procedures. Allergic reactions to nuts can be severe, sometimes even life-threatening. Food allergy and oral challenges are diagnosed due to the presence of allergens in nuts. People are allergic to nuts, especially children & adults, and this population is increasing daily. Sales growth has been lowering since people are conscious about their health.

Furthermore, nuts allergies can be life-threatening, and tree nuts and seeds are some of the most common food triggers for life-threatening severe allergic reactions. In the North America region, tree nut allergies are common, with a hazelnut allergy being the most prevalent tree nut allergy. Cashews are the second most allergic nut and a significant health problem in the North America region. There is no treatment for nut allergies other than avoiding nuts and foods containing them. As a result, this has had a significant impact on recent expansion in the nuts industry and is predicted to continue in the future.

Thus, the growth of the market is hindered due to the allergies caused by nuts. People are now more conscious about their health and taking care to avoid allergies causing nuts and products. This may challenge the growth of the NA specialty crop market.

Post-COVID-19 Impact on North America Specialty Crop Market

Post the pandemic, the demand for specialty crops has increased as there won't be any restrictions on movement; hence, the supply of products would be easy. The persistence of COVID-19 for a longer period has affected the supply chain as it got disrupted, and it became difficult to supply food products to consumers, initially increasing the demand for products. However, post-COVID, the demand for specialty crops has increased significantly owing to good protein content and other nutrients available.

Recent Developments

• In July 2022, SVZ Industrial Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients announced an investment plan for its Belgian processing plant in Rijkevorsel. This expansion will help the company to fulfill the growing demand for fruit and vegetable products from consumers by increasing the facility's capacity
• In September 2020, The Fisher Nut Company introduced a new case packaging line due to increased demand for products during COVID-19

North America Specialty Crop Market Scope

North America specialty crop market is segmented on the basis of crop type, nature, and application. The growth amongst these segments will help you analyze major growth segments in the industries and provide the users with a valuable market overview and market insights to help them make strategic decisions for identifying core market applications.

Crop Type

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Tree Nuts
• Herbs
• Spices
• Others

On the basis of crop type, the North America specialty crop market is segmented into fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, herbs, spices, and others.

Nature

• Conventional
• Organic

On the basis of product type, the North America specialty crop market is segmented into organic and conventional.

Application

• Dairy Products
• Bakery
• Juices
• Nectars & Fruit-Based Drinks
• Confectionery
• Soups
• Sauces & Dressings
• Others

On the basis of end user, the North America specialty crop market is segmented into dairy products, bakery, juices, nectars & fruit-based drinks, confectionery, soups, sauces & dressings, and others.

 North America Specialty Crop Market Regional Analysis/Insights

The North America specialty crop market is analyzed, and market size insights and trends are provided based on crop type, nature, and application, as referenced above.

The countries covered in the North America specialty crop market report are the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

In 2022, the U.S. is expected to dominate the North America specialty crop market in terms of market share and revenue. It is estimated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period due to the growing demand for agriculture, and food consumption is the major reason for the growth of specialty crops in the North America region.

The region section of the report also provides individual market-impacting factors and changes in regulations in the market that impact the current and future trends of the market. Data points, such as new and replacement sales, country demographics, disease epidemiology, and import-export tariffs, are some of the major pointers used to forecast the market scenario for individual countries. In addition, the presence and availability of North America brands and their challenges faced due to high competition from local and domestic brands and the impact of sales channels are considered while providing forecast analysis of the country data.

Competitive Landscape and North America Specialty Crop Market Share Analysis

The competitive North America specialty crop market provides details about the competitors. Details include company overview, company financials, revenue generated, market potential, investment in research and development, new market initiatives, North America presence, production sites and facilities, production capacities, company strengths and weaknesses, product launch, product width and breadth, and application dominance. The above data points are only related to the companies focus on the North America specialty crop market.

Some of the major players operating in the North America specialty crop market are Banabay, Rice Fruit Company, Fisher Nut Company, SVZ Industrial Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients, United Natural Foods, Inc., Lamex Food Group Limited, Herbs N Spices International, Harbor Spice Co., Inc., Olam Group, Oregon Spice Company, Speciality Crop Company., INC., NUTSCO, AGT Food and Ingredients, Natural Specialty Crops, ULC, Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts, FARMER DIRECT ORGANIC, and Barnes Williams among others.

Research Methodology

Data collection and base year analysis are done using data collection modules with large sample sizes. The market data is analyzed and estimated using market statistical and coherent models. In addition, market share analysis and key trend analysis are the major success factors in the market report. The key research methodology used by the DBMR research team is data triangulation which involves data mining, analysis of the impact of data variables on the market, and primary (industry expert) validation. Apart from this, data models include Vendor Positioning grids, Market Time Line Analysis, Market Overview and Guide, Company Positioning Grid, Company Market Share Analysis, Standards of Measurement, North America Vs. Regional, and Vendor Share Analysis. Please request an analyst call in case of further inquiry.

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