Dear National Organic Standards Board,

We stand with the community of organic farmers and consumers that rely upon organic food and agriculture for not only the nutritious and clean food that it provides, but also as the solution for a sustainable future through regenerative agricultural practices. The organic farmers that pioneered the organic revolution decades ago did so in the interest of our health and that of the soil, plants, water and animals to create a system of agriculture we could pass down to the next generations.

Organic consumers understand that when they purchase organic food, it is an investment in our future, our planet and their personal health—all of which are interdependent and inseparable. “What we do to the earth, we do to ourselves.” This is why so many people have chosen to eat organic food—for the promise of a hopeful future for ourselves and also Earth.

The currently permitted organic certification of hydroponically grown food in recent years has deceived consumers as it is not grown in the soil and in accordance with traditional—nor certifiable—organic practices. Consumers have come to expect and rely upon healthy food grown in the soil when they buy organic, which is based upon the regulatory framework in partnership with organic farmers in the U.S. It is disingenuous, at the very least, to allow the production and sale of food as Organic that does not meet the organic standards as set forth by organic farmers and subsequently past National Organic Standards Boards and the National Organic Program.

Allowing hydroponics to be certified as organic erodes the public trust in the organic label and is a great disservice to the farmers whom we rely upon.

The Organic Food Production Act (OFPA) specifically states,

“An organic plan shall contain provisions designed to foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil through proper tillage, crop rotation, and manuring.”

Hydroponically grown food—plants that receive their primary nutrients through an artificial feeding tube instead of the fertility, health and vitality of the soil—are not qualified to be certified as organic and therefore, should not be.

We now urge the National Organic Standards Board to vote for the proposal to recommend that hydroponic production not be allowed to be certified organic, and we urge the National Organic Program to implement that recommendation in keeping with the spirit of OFPA and the 2010 NOSB recommendation on hydroponic growing, clarifying and strengthening the organic standards and preserving and restoring a system of agriculture vital to our health and a sustainable future.

Thank you.