EWG Answers: Is Hydroponic Produce the Same as Organic?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 1.07
In what we hope will be just the first in a long-running series of "Ask EWG" posts, EWG analyst Kristan Markey tackles the subject of hydroponic crops and how they relate to organic and conventional produce. The short of it is that hydroponic produce need not always be organic — growers often use synthetic pesticides on them — though it is possible for it to meet the organic standard if it eschews the pesticides and uses organic nutrient mixtures.
Watch the entire video for a more comprehensive overview and be sure to send your questions along to EWG here.
The thing is, hydroponics uses lots of energy if run 24x7, no?
I don't know who was the expert interviewed there but he's not correct when he said Hydroponics produce can be organic.
Hydroponics, by definition is not organic since it uses refined minerals as nutrients. All the so called "organic nutrients" in the market are scams. There no such thing. This is why you wouldn't find a single hydroponically produced product in the market that is certified as organic.
Though it's another matter that hydroponic produce can be more environmental friendly than soil organic produce which uses nutrients made from animal products such as blood, bone, horn, hoof and feathers. This PDF throws more light on the debate on organics and hydroponics.
This was such a light touch on the subject that it is almost worthless. Water consumption and pesticide use are far from the only considerations when buying produce. For example, there are very few commercial greenhouse operations that are not heated. In my area, they use natural gas, but as gas prices rise, some are switching to burning coal. That is right, a coal-fired greenhouse.
If we would like to be sustainable, Bill McDonough says we must be solar-powered. So, unheated greenhouses can be used to extend our growing season. But, buying tomatoes year-round is not, and never will be, sustainable. Eat seasonally.
Ruben, the question didn't ask which was more sustainable, it asked what the difference was between hydro and organic.
Hi Manu,
Thanks for your comment. The article you referred to is from the mid 1990's. As of 2002, the USDA/NOP allows hydroponics to be labeled as organic (as long as they meet the other USDA organic standards) until specific rules for hydroponic production are finalized.
A couple of links for your perusal:
USDA/NOSB Feedback, 2005 (pdf)
2002 Aquacontacts Mailgroup News article