Meeting Demand for Organic Produce

Summary#

This bill would change parts of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to give organic producers the option to confirm that soil or another growing medium contains no prohibited substances before planting. Confirmation can be done through testing or other methods that the Secretary of Agriculture certifies. The bill adds similar confirmation language for wild crop certification and changes some wording in the statute to require certain production conditions. For both changes, the Secretary must issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking within 60 days of enactment to develop guidelines and criteria for approved verification methods.

What it means for you#

• Farmers and producers: You would be allowed to use testing or other Secretary‑certified methods to show a growing medium is free of prohibited substances (including synthetic chemicals) before planting. Wild crop areas could also require such a preplant confirmation as part of certification.
• Certifiers and inspectors: The bill directs the Secretary to create guidelines and criteria for acceptable testing and verification methods and to begin rulemaking within 60 days.
• Consumers and buyers: The bill changes how producers may demonstrate that organic produce was grown in a medium without prohibited substances, but it does not itself change labeling or market rules in the text provided.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on projected costs, appropriations, or federal budget effects is included in the bill text or metadata provided.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on proponents' statements, debates, or expected benefits is included in the bill text or metadata provided.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' statements, concerns, or expected harms is included in the bill text or metadata provided.