USDA announced plans to amend the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) regulations to add 38 substances to 7 CFR part 205.606, along with any restrictive annotations, based on comments garnered from public meetings held May 6-8, 2002, and March 27-29, 2007 held by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The 15-member NOSB assists the Secretary of Agriculture in developing standards for substances for organic production and also advises the Secretary on other aspects of implementing the national organic program.
According to the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic foods grew by 22.1% in 2006 to reach $16.9 billion vs. $13.8 billion in 2005. The expanded list should give product designers greater latitude when developing new organic products.
Current U.S. regulations allow the use of a non-organically-produced agricultural ingredient on the National List when an accredited certifying agent has determined that the organic form of the product is not commercially available. The new additions for processed products labeled as “organic” include:
• Sausage casings, from processed intestines.
• Celery powder.
• Chia (Salvia hispanica).
• “Natural” colors:
1) Annatto extract, water- and oil-soluble
2) Beet juice
3) Beta carotene from carrots
4) Black currant juice
5) Black/purple carrot juice
6) Blueberry juice
7) Carrot juice
8) Cherry juice
9) Chokeberry/aronia juice
10) Elderberry juice
11) Grape juice
12) Grape skin extract
13) Paprika, dried, and oil extracted
14) Pumpkin juice
15) Purple potato juice
16) Red cabbage extract
17) Red radish extract
18) Saffron
19) Turmeric
• Dillweed oil
• Fish oil stabilized with organic ingredients or ingredients on the National List
• Fructooligosaccharides
• Galangal, frozen.
• Gelatin
• Gums, water-extracted arabic, guar, locust bean and carob bean only
• Hops
• Inulin, oligofructose-enriched
• Kelp, when used as a thickener and dietary supplement only
• Konjac flour
• Lecithin, unbleached
• Lemongrass, frozen
• Orange shellac, unbleached
• High-methoxy pectin
• Chipotle chile peppers
• Starches: native cornstarch, unmodified rice starch and sweet potato starch (for bean thread production only)
• Turkish bay leaves
• Wakame seaweed (Undaria pinnatifada)
• Whey protein concentrate
The agency has granted interested persons seven days to respond to this proposed rule, in addition to the 30 days of public comment on these substances in advance of the two NOSB meetings. Comments must be received by May 22, 2007, and may be submitted by mail to Robert Pooler, Agricultural Marketing Specialist, National Organic Program, USDA/AMS/TMP/NOP, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4008-So., Ag Stop 0268, Washington, DC 20250, or via the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. The complete Federal Register notice can be found at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/07-2388.htm.
