Federal Court Rules Hydroponic Produce can be Certified Organic
On March 23rd the US District court for Northern California ruled the USDA can continue certifying hydroponic farming operations as organic under the National Organic Program. The Judge found the “USDA had reasonably concluded the applicable statutory scheme does not exclude hydroponics from the organic program.” This decision comes after the Center for Food Safety, representing soil-baed organic farmers, petitioned USDA to stop certifying hydroponic operations. This follows a long, ongoing debate regarding whether hydroponic farming, which does not involve any soil, can actually be organic.
Verdict Upheld in Monster Heart Attack Case
A CA Appeals Court affirmed a jury verdict in favor of Monster Beverage Corp. in a suit claiming that a Monster drink caused a heart attack. The Plaintiff, Bledsoe, sued Monster after having a heart attack leading to brain damage. The court found there was evidence that his heart attack could have caused by many other factors, including a pre-existing medical condition. Bledsoe was unable to prove causation as “no one saw him take more than a couples sips of Monster Energy.”
