National Organic Standards Are Close - organic food regulation proposal - Brief Article

AgExporter, June, 2000

In March 2000, USDA announced a new proposal for uniform, consistent national standards for organic food. The proposal offers a national definition for the term "organic" and spells out implementation of the National Organic Program (NOP). Currently, organic agricultural products are certified by various private and state a organizations, which vary in their organic standards.

The proposed rule is the fruition of years of work highlighted by USDA'S initial proposal on national organic standards issued in December 1997. During the public comment period, USDA received over 275,000 comments-the largest response on any proposed rule in the history of the department.

The current proposal, revised in accordance with public comments, establishes standards for production and handling of organic commodities and sets up the administrative framework of the program. It is a consumer-driven regulation designed to assure the integrity of organic products produced in or imported into the United States.

A single national organic standard will also offer the added benefit of facilitating U.S. organic product exports, because our trading partners can deal more easily with one national standard rather than with multiple state and private standards.

Spelling Out the Specifics

The proposed rule specifically prohibits the use of genetic engineering, sewage sludge and irradiation in the production of food products labeled "organic" or "made with organic-specified ingredients." The proposal also prohibits antibiotics in organic livestock production and requires that livestock raised organically receive 100-percent organic feed.

It also contains a list specifying which synthetic substances are allowed and which non-synthetic substances are prohibited in organic production and processing. Four labeling categories, based on the product's proportion of organic ingredients (100 percent, more than 95 percent; 50-95 percent and less than 50 percent) are proposed, so consumers will know exactly what they're getting.

The rule covers USDA accreditation of domestic and foreign certifiers and outlines procedures to ensure the equivalency of imported products. Other administrative functions are dealt with as well, such as compliance testing, the state program approval process and user fees.

The Next Steps

USDA is currently analyzing public comments on the proposed rule, preparatory to issuing a final rule, expected later this year. The 18-month phase-in period will give producers and processors time to make any necessary adjustments to meet the national organic standards.

Implementation of the program, starting with the first round of certifier accreditations, can begin when the final rule is published. During the phase-in, USDA will carry out accreditation evaluations of organic certifiers. Farms and other operations will be considered USDA-certified once their certifiers receive USDA accreditation. Certified operations must then comply fully with the national standards and will be assessed by their certifiers on the anniversaries of their original certifications.

Farms and handling operations that sell less than $5,000 worth of organic agricultural products per year are exempt from certification. However, these producers and handlers must still abide by the national standards for organic products to label their products "organic" or "made with organic-specified ingredients."