"US: Trade group seeks standardization of term "greenhouse"
The group, formerly known as the North American Greenhouse Hothouse Vegetable Association, said that tomatoes grown in greenhouses attracted a higher price - around 40 cents per pound - than those grown in open field cultivation and that 50% of all tomatoes grown are labelled as being greenhouse grown.
"Unlike certified organic, there is no standard national definition for greenhouse production," said Ed Beckman, president of Certified Greenhouse Farmers, in a press release. "Consumers and retailers that purchase greenhouse-grown produce should be assured that produce labeled as greenhouse is, in fact, produced in a defined greenhouse. Without such protection, consumers are paying a premium for what is essentially a field-grown product masquerading as greenhouse."
The group has the definition of what it would like to see the greenhouse definition be:
"A fully enclosed permanent aluminum or steel structure clad in either glass or impermeable plastic for the controlled environment growing of certified greenhouse/hothouse vegetables using together: computerized irrigation and climate control systems, including heating and ventilation capability; a soilless medium that substitutes for soil (under the greenhouse/hothouse); hydroponic methods; and Integrated Pest Management, without the use of herbicides."
Source: supermarketnews.com
