New USDA regulations have mandated that organic products containing certain non-organic minor ingredients are now officially non-compliant with US government organic certifications
A new ruling - the National Organic Program Regulation - which came into effect on June 9, states that only ingredients appearing in the US Department of Agriculture's National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) are permitted for use in organic products.
The ruling impacts 38 non-organic ingredients, including colours, starches and oils, which are currently being used in organic products.
According to the USDA, organic producers and handlers may have thought that any non-organic agricultural substance could be used in organic products if this was determined unavailable in organic form by an accredited certifying agent.
However, the implementation of the new rule is unlikely to cause any long-term worries for manufacturers of organic products, as the USDA is currently working on revising its National List to include the additional 38 ingredients. This means that manufacturers should be able to use these in their non-organic form when an organic counterpart is not available commercially.
