The proportion of U.S. parents citing price as a barrier to buying organic products has dropped sharply in the last year, showing that more families are willing to pay a price premium for organic-certified items.

The Organic Trade Association's (OTA) U.S. Families' Organic Attitudes & Beliefs 2014 Tracking Study surveyed 1,200 households with at least one child under 18, and found 51% believed price was a barrier for organic purchases, compared to 62% in 2013.

"Parents in charge of the household budget recognize the benefits of organic, and are willing to pay a little more to know that they are giving their families the highest quality and most healthy products being offered in their local store," said OTA executive director Laura Batcha in a release.

The study found families that included organic products on their grocery lists on a regular basis spent an average of US$125 per week at the grocery store, compared to US$110 per week for those who didn't buy organic items.

However, despite the price tag, 47% of parents polled said half or more of their weekly grocery purchases were organic, while close to 10% said they only bought organic.

The release highlighted that organic food has become more mainstraem in recent years due to a jump in demand.

"No longer just found in niche specialty stores, supermarkets are now the go-to source for 70 percent of households buying organic," the release said.

"Lack of availability of organic products was cited by just 12 percent as a reason for not buying organic, down from last year's 21 percent who claimed that was a barrier. A tiny percentage of those surveyed—three percent—said that organic products were not available where they shopped."

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