Meeting Demand for Organic Produce Act

119 HR 7406 IH: Meeting Demand for Organic Produce Act U.S. House of Representatives 2026-02-05 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7406 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 5, 2026 Mr. Newhouse introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To amend the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to provide producers with the option to confirm the absence of prohibited substances through testing, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Meeting Demand for Organic Produce Act . 2. Option to confirm the absence of prohibited substances through testing (a) National standards for organic production Section 2105 of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 6504 ) is amended— (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— (A) by striking shall ; and (B) by striking To be and inserting the following: (a) In general To be ; (2) in subsection (a) (as so designated)— (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting shall before have been ; (B) in paragraph (2)— (i) by striking products; and and inserting product; or ; (ii) by striking livestock, not and inserting the following: livestock— (A) shall not ; and (iii) by adding at the end the following: (B) shall be produced in soil or another growing medium that has been confirmed prior to the time of planting to contain no prohibited substances, including synthetic chemicals, through testing or other methods certified by the Secretary to verify the absence of prohibited substances in the growing medium; and ; and (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting shall before be produced ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (b) Guidelines and criteria Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the Meeting Demand for Organic Produce Act , the Secretary shall issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to develop guidelines and criteria for approved verification methods described in subsection (a)(2)(B) to ensure accuracy and reliability with respect to the testing described in that subsection. . (b) Management of wild crops Section 2114(f) of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 6513(f) ) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (4) as subparagraphs (A) through (D), respectively, and indenting appropriately; (2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) (as so redesignated), by striking An organic and inserting the following: (1) In general An organic ; (3) in paragraph (1)(B) (as so redesignated)— (A) by adding or after the semicolon at the end; (B) by striking include a 3 year and inserting the following: include— (i) a 3-year ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (ii) a certification that the soil or other growing medium of the area has been confirmed prior to the time of planting to contain no prohibited substances, including synthetic chemicals, through testing or other methods certified by the Secretary to verify the absence of prohibited substances in the growing medium; ; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (2) Guidelines and criteria Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the Meeting Demand for Organic Produce Act , the Secretary shall issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to develop guidelines and criteria for approved verification methods described in paragraph (1)(B)(ii) to ensure accuracy and reliability with respect to the testing described in that paragraph. .