2007 Press Releases
OTA: Sec. of Ag needs to issue rule
News Release
Contact: Barbara Haumann (413-774-7511, Ext. 20)
Organic Trade Association urges Secretary of Agriculture:
Rule needed to address question of non-organic agricultural ingredients
GREENFIELD, Mass. (June 12, 2007)-The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today urged the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to issue a rule allowing organic manufacturers to continue to use certain minor non-organic agricultural ingredients as approved by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) and published May 15 in a proposed rule.
Until June 9, any non-organic agricultural ingredients, if an organic version were unavailable, could be used in the remaining 5% of the ingredients in products labeled as "Organic" (at least 95% percent of the ingredients in the products in this category must be organic ingredients, excluding water and salt, by weight). That changed due to a court order and USDA's agreement to tighten the qualifications for these agricultural ingredients.
Although USDA published a proposed rule in May, the final rule has yet to be published, despite the June 9 deadline imposed by the court. Because of the court order, unless there is a rule published, organic manufacturers have been advised not to use unapproved non-organic agricultural ingredients in such products. As a result, some organic products consumers have grown to expect could disappear from the marketplace.
"There are 38 non-organic agricultural ingredients that have gone through intensive scrutiny and review, after a strict petition process, and have been recommended by NOSB to be added to the National List," said Caren Wilcox, OTA's Executive Director.
When such a final rule takes effect, only those non-organic agricultural products that have been successfully petitioned to NOSB, published in the Federal Register and checked by a certification body will be allowed when the organic counterpart ingredients are not available. Thus, the number of ingredients allowed under those circumstances will shrink dramatically compared with the situation prior to June 9. "Since passage of the national organic regulations, many more organic ingredients have become available, but some ingredients are still not available organically in appropriate form, quality or quantity," said Wilcox. "We hope they will be soon."
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the business association representing the organic agriculture industry in North America. Its nearly 1,600 members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA encourages global sustainability through promoting and protecting the growth of diverse organic trade.
Headquarters: P.O. Box 547, Greenfield, MA 01302 USA (413) 774-7511 fax: (413)-774-6432 http://www.ota.com/
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