In Nurex, Hawaii, we are often asked, "Why haven't Spirulina Hawaii been certified organic?" In fact, Spirulina Hawaii is organic, but not the way most people are familiar with the term. The reason is that there are different "organic" classifications between agriculture and aquaculture. Certification bodies did not take this difference into account, nor did they accept nitrate sources for aquaculture as they had in the past. Prior to this relocation, Spirulina Hawaii had been organically certified.


  
Agriculture and aquaculture differ in the following ways. In order to make crops considered "organic certification", they need to be planted in ecosystems. The system uses approved organic nutrients and meets the pesticide use standards of other certification bodies. Through product traceability in the supply chain, the organic compounds used in organic agriculture are essentially biologically produced. Inorganic nitrogen sources are not allowed in "organic" agriculture.


However, in organic spirulina aquaculture, inorganic nitrogen source is a natural component of the growth process of blue-green algae, which has a history of millions of years. Spirulina naturally grows in waters rich in inorganic mineral salts such as phosphorus, nitrogen and sodium. Inorganic fertilizers, naturally present in the earth's soil, have been nourished by Spirulina platensis for more than three billion years. True organic spirulina does not use fertilizer from plant and animal waste; therefore, it does not meet the agricultural definition of "organic".


 


How does organic Hawaiian Spirulina come into being?
At Nutrex Hawaii's Spirulina Farm on the Kona coast of Hawaii, we recreated the same growth conditions found in nature to cultivate genuine organic Spirulina. We use the same inorganic fertilizers (phosphorus, nitrogen and sodium) as nature to fuel our Spirulina crops, because this is the natural food of algae. Our planting center operates in closed-loop production in lined ponds, without runoff or soil pollution.