USDA May Add 38 Substances to National Organics Program’s National List
Comments must be submitted by May 22, 2007.
The National Organics Standards Board proposed to allow 38 substances (along with any restrictive annotations), including 19 colors, to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances in the National Organics Program. The list of proposed ingredients was published in yesterday’s Federal Register with a shortened comment period of seven days. Ingredients may be added to the National List as early as June 9.
NOSB recommended adding the following colors to the National List for use in organic handling as a non-organic agricultural ingredient when the organic form of the color is considered commercially unavailable:
Annato extract color
Beet juice extract color
Beta-carotene extract color
Black currant juice color
Black/purple carrot juice color
Blueberry juice color
Carrot Juice color
Cherry juice color
Chokeberry-aronia juice color
Elderberry juice color
Grape juice color
Grape skin extract color
Paprika color
Pumpkin juice color
Purple potato juice color
Red cabbage extract color
Red radish extract color
Saffron extract color
Tumeric extract color NOSB also recommends adding several other ingredients to the National List for use in organic handling as a non-organic agricultural ingredient when the organic form of the ingredient is considered commercially unavailable. Ingredients include celery powder, chia, dillweed oil, fish oil, fructooligosaccharides, frozen galangal, gelatin, water-extracted gums (Arabic, guar, locust bean and carob bean), hops, oligofructose enriched inulin, konjac flour, unbleached lecithin, frozen lemongrass, unbleached orange shellac, pectin, chipotle chile pepper, unmodified rice starch, cornstarch (native), sausage casings, sweet potato starch, Turkish bay leaves, Wakame Seaweed, and whey protein concentrate up to 80 percent.
The proposed rule may be obtained from the NAFFS office or viewed at the link below.
Comments must be received by May 22 and may be submitted 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 on the Internet via the link below.
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