Rockville, MD 20852. As the USDA works to finalize a national organic rule, an issue sure to be a source of controversy involves the contents of what is called the National List of Materials for Organic Processing. The NOSB utilizes the technical assistance of the USDA s Technical Advisory Panel. The List is then forwarded to the USDA, which can take NOSB recommended synthetic substances off the list, but cannot add to the list. The List is composed of allowable organic agricultural production inputs - in other words, what organic farmers can use in producing organic food.
Many organic farmers use fertilizer and various non-toxic pesticides.
The demand for processed organic commodities has grown dramatically, and many of the larger companies now producing organic products see processed organic food as having the greatest growth and profit potential. The problem, however, is that the OFPA does not allow for any use of synthetic materials in processing organic food. Regardless, the NOSB is pushing forward in developing a List of certain synthetic materials that will be allowable in processed foods labeled as organic. The NOSB s current recommendation is that certain reviewed and approved synthetic materials can be used as processing aids or adjuvants but not actual ingredients in organic processed foods. The difference between the categories is that all ingredients must be identified on the label, while processing aids and adjuvants do not have to be labeled.