Is Hydroponic Food Organic?

Walk in to the produce section of a grocery store and you’ll notice there are really two areas within: organic and non-organic. Usually, the majority of produce will be of the non-organic kind with only about 20% of the produce having the coveted organic label. If the two kinds of produce cost the same, certainly the selection would the other way around. Maybe there wouldn’t be any non-organic food at all. That’s the way it should be anyway. We should all be eating organic food! The problem is organic produce is ~30% - 50% more expensive. Most people opt for the cheaper produce because it’s easy to think about your wallet before longer-term consequences. And this is why the produce section has an 80% non-organic skew.

One of the beautiful things about growing food in a hydroponic tower garden, is you’re in complete control of how the food is grown. You’re in control of the amount of light and the amount of water your plants receive. Since you’re growing in small, family-sized batches the grow is much more manageable. You’re not a farmer trying to maximize yield over acres and acres of land. You’re just trying to have a nice sustainable crop to get you through spring. You’re trying to grow fresh, natural food for you and your family. And of course – you won’t be spraying your food with pesticides of any kind.

Look up the word “organic” and you’ll get a few different definitions depending on the source. But essentially – organic food is food grown without any artificial additives or chemicals, including pesticides and herbicides, and does not contain any genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Although food grown under this definition should be considered organic, there has been some debate whether hydroponic food is indeed organic. Why? Because hydroponic growing methods do not use soil. Historically - one of the tests for USDA certified organic foods, has been soil quality. Since hydroponics does not use soil, it has become a circular argument. Certifying foods as organic has both its proponents and opponents, with big dollars at stake. In fact – it became such a big debate that the courts had to get involved to settle the case.

Fortunately the courts have brought clarity to the issue. In 2021 the United States District Court in Northern California ruled that the USDA may continue certifying hydroponically grown foods as organic, and that hydroponic systems qualify for the National Organic Program (NOP). This court decision was appealed, but in 2022 – the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court’s ruling. Hydroponically grown food would be considered organic and certified as such.

Growing food at home with your hydroponic tower is organic gardening. You’re growing fresh, clean food without the use of chemicals. Because hydroponic towers don’t use soil, they’re easy to bring indoors making them urban farms. You don’t need a yard to have your very own organic garden. You can grow organic food safely and easily, hydroponically.