Hydroponic-Produced Foods Can Be Called ‘Organic,’ Court Rules

Foods grown with hydroponic systems may be labeled “organic,” a federal court in California said, rejecting the Center for Food Safety’s bid for regulations that would prohibit the organic certification of foods produced with soil-less systems.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reasonably concluded the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 doesn’t require that hydroponics be excluded from the organic program, Judge Richard Seeborg of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said March 19.

The act authorized the National Organic Program, which sets national standards and administers the certification process for organic foods.

In 2019, the Agriculture ...