The USDA “has quietly allowed a flood of hydroponically produced fruits and vegetables, largely imported, to be illegally labeled and sold as ‘organic,'” says Cornucopia Institute in a complaint filed with the Agricultural Marketing Service, which oversees the organic food program. Cornucopia acted ahead of a meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, on Nov. 16-18, where the USDA advisory board may vote on whether hydroponic crops may be labeled as organic.
A task force appointed by NOSB concluded during the summer that hydroponics fall outside the definition of organic agriculture because the crops are not grown in soil. The Packer, which covers the produce industry, says a two-thirds majority would be needed to approve bioponics, a term covering hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics, for the organic seal. “That is unlikely, because the proposal garnered only two votes in the crops subcommittee, with five voting against it,” said The Packer.
According to The Packer, USDA has certified 52 organic hydroponic/aquaponic operations and 69 operations that grow crops in containers, “despite earlier recommendations from the board to exclude hydroponic operations from organic certification.”
The NOSB task force said, “This will be a very important recommendation for the future of organic certification … many in the organic community are opposed to the inclusion of hydroponic as organic. Failure to address the concern will inevitably undermine public and farmer support for the USDA Organic label.”
Cornucopia, a self-described organic watchdog group, says hydroponics, “generally grown under artificial lighting, indoors and on an industrial scale,” create unfair competition for “soil-based U.S. growers.”
In its complaint, it asks USDA to investigate the organic certification of two large growers, Driscoll’s, of Watsonville, Calif., which it noted uses peat moss and a soybean substance for fertility. Cornucopia also named Wholesum Harvest Family Farms, of Nogales, Ariz., which grows greenhouse vegetables in containers using coconut coir. After finishing with Driscoll’s and Wholsum, the rest of the hydroponic and container growers should be investigated too, said Cornucopia.
To read Cornucopia’s complaint to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, click here.