FORMAL RECOMMENDATION BY THE

NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD (NOSB) 

TO THE NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM (NOP) 

Date: 5/22/08 

Subject: Updates to Sections I and VIII of the NOSB Policy and Procedures Manual.

Chair: Rigoberto Delgado 

Recommendation

The NOSB hereby recommends to the NOP the following: 

Rulemaking Action: 

Guidance Statement: 

Other: XXX 

Statement of the Recommendation (including Recount of Vote):

The Board recommends including the following changes to the NOSB Policy and Procedures 

Manual: 

1) Section I, page 6, NOSB Mission Statement, under carrying out the mission add or deletion 

from. 

 

2) Section I, page 6, NOSB Mission Statement, under carrying out the mission combine items 4& 

6 and adding timely andmaking reasonable use of a variety of communication channels. 

3) Section VIII, National Organic Program Materials Review Process, adding a paragraph 

describing handling of withdrawals of petitions by the petitioner. 

NOSB Vote 

Motion: to approve changes to the NOSB Policy and Procedures Manual as described by the 

Chair of the Policy Committee 

Moved by: Barry Flamm Second by: Hubert Karreman

Board vote: Yes - 14 No- 0 Abstain- 0 Absent - 1 

Result: The ayes have it and the motion is agreed to. 

Rationale Supporting Recommendation (including consistency with OFPA and NOP):

The updates should allow NOSB members to communicate better with the public and handle 

petitions in a fair and consistent manner. 

Response by the NOP:
National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

Policy Development Committee

Updates to the Policy and Procedures Manual

April 3, 2008

Summary: 

The PDC recommends changes to Section 1 of the Policy and Procedures Manual to more closely 

conform language to OFPA and to strengthen directions for communicating with the public. 

 

Recommendations: 

1) Section I, page 6, NOSB Mission Statement, under carrying out the mission add or 

deletion from. The statement would then read: Review petitioned materials for inclusion 

on or deletion from the National List of Approved and Prohibited Substances (National 

List). 

2) Section I, page 6, NOSB Mission Statement, under carrying out the mission combine 

items 4& 6 adding timely and making full use of communication channels. The 

statement would then read: Communicate with the organic community, including 

conducting public meetings, soliciting and taking public comments and provide timely 

information and education on the NOP, making reasonable use of a variety of 

communication channels.

3) Section VIII, National Organic Program Materials Review Process, adding a paragraph 

describing handling of withdrawals of petitions by the petitioner. The proposed 

paragraph would be placed immediately after Phase 6, page 35, and would read:

Handling withdrawals of petitions by the petitioner.

When a petition involving a material is withdrawn by the petitioner, the Board should 

suspend its review and recommendation procedure. In the case of a petition not 

involving a material, Board members have the option of completing its review and 

providing a recommendation or guidance. 

In the case a petition previously withdrawn is resubmitted, the Board should review it in 

the order it is received. This means that a withdrawn petition should be considered a 

completely new request and falls to the end of the queue of materials pending review. 

The petitioner can withdraw a petition at any moment during the process of review by the 

Board, public comment, or prior to the Board’s voting on the petition. 

A petitioner should have the opportunity to withdraw a petition with the intent of 

improving it (e.g., conducting additional research) only. It is the hope of the Board that 

petitioners will not abuse this privilege with the intent of finding agreeable members in 

subsequent submissions. 

Committee vote:: 1st Rigo Delgado, 2nd Bea James Yes: 4 No: 0 Abstain: 0 Absent: 0