Soli Organics: A major hydroponic operation certified by CCOF
Crushing Family-Scale Organic Farmers
Hi folks,
OrganicEye is supporting farmers who are switching certifiers after finding out that their “partners” in organic certification have been instrumental in the rise of soilless industrial-scale hydroponic greenhouses, massive fraudulent imports, and large livestock factories that are driving family-scale farmers out of business.
Since federal law clearly says that good soil stewardship is a prerequisite for certification, how did the USDA and major certifiers like CCOF succeed in getting hydroponics approved (even when the National Organic Standards Board previously banned them)?
A conspiracy between the big certifiers, the Organic Trade Association lobby group, and large corporate agribusinesses like Driscoll’s has stacked the NOSB with corporate-friendly folks who don’t seem to care what organic means (beyond its value as a vehicle for profit and market growth) — and who are following the orders of big food puppet masters.
On Thursday, January 23, one of the country’s experts on true organic production versus phony hydroponic organics, Dave Chapman of the Real Organic Project, will go toe to toe in a debate at EcoFarm in California with the high paid lawyer-CEO who runs CCOF, the country’s largest certifier. CCOF lobbied for hydroponics after receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from hydroponic berry grower Driscoll’s and other corporate interests. (This is illegal under federal law and OrganicEye has filed a formal legal complaint against CCOF.)
If you can’t make it to the debate, the producer/director of Organic Rising, an excellent full-length film that I was honored to be featured in, has made an addendum to the movie, available for free, in which Chapman lays out a very cogent timeline for how USDA allowance of hydroponics was greased through (although OrganicEye and many others are far from through fighting to correct the misdeed).
Who owns the organic label? We all do! This spring we will provide organic shoppers with the tools needed to choose the very best organic food while sending a message to the bad-actor certifiers and rewarding the true heroes.
Eaters supporting organic family farmers are a potent force in the marketplace of ideas.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of our members for financially underwriting this work. Your generous end-of-year contributions enabled us to use the entire challenge grant, leveraging your giving. The increased financial support you provided in 2024 will enable us to continue making an impact and your confidence in our organization truly means a lot to us.
Best regards,
Mark Kastel
Executive Director
OrganicEye
PS: For a full background on the alleged conflicts of interest and other improprieties at CCOF please click here. Follow the money!
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