USDA pegs substances for renewal on organics list

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has recommended a five-year renewal of 17 substances on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is recommending renewal of 17 substances on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances within USDA’s organic regulations, after the agency completed a 2018 sunset review for the substances, AMS announced.
   The recommendations are subject to the Agriculture Secretary’s approval.
The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990 and USDA organic regulations specifically ban the use of any synthetic substance in organic production and handling unless the substance is on the National List, and the OFPA requires a review of all substances on the list within five years of their addition to or renewal on the list, AMS said.
   AMS is recommending that the following synthetic substances be renewed for approved use in organic crop production:
     • Copper sulfate for use as an algicide in aquatic rice systems and for use as tadpole shrimp control in aquatic rice production;
     • Ozone gas for use as an irrigation system cleaner;
     • Peracetic acid for use to control fire blight bacteria and for use in disinfecting equipment, seed and asexually propagated planting material, as well as in hydrogen peroxide formulations, in accordance with USDA regulations, at a concentration of no more than 6 percent as indicated on the pesticide product label
     • And “EPA List 3,” inerts of unknown toxicity, for use only in passive pheromone dispensers.
   AMS is also recommending that the following nonorganic substances be renewed for approved use as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic” or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))”:
     • Agar-agar;
     • Animal enzymes – rennet-animals derived, catalase-bovine liver, animal lipase, pancreatin, pepsin and trypsin;
     • Calcium sulfate – mined;
     • Carrageenan;
     • Glucono delta-lactone, with prohibition on production by the oxidation of D-glucose with bromine water;
     • Tartaric acid made from grape wine;
     • Cellulose for use in regenerative castings, and as an anti-caking agent and filtering aid;
     • Potassium hydroxide, with a prohibition for use in lye peeling of fruits and vegetables except for peaches;
     • And silicon dioxide, to be permitted as a defoamer, and allowed for other uses when organic rice hulls aren’t commercially available.
   Further, AMS is recommending that beta-carotene extract color derived from carrots or algae, a nonorganically produced agricultural product, be allowed as an ingredient in or on processed products labeled as “organic,” only when the processed product is not commercially available in organic form.
   Finally, AMS is recommending that calcium chloride be continued as a non-synthetic substance generally prohibited for use in organic crop production.
   Read AMS’s April 4 Federal Register notice (on Public Inspection as of April 3) for more specific compliance-related information.
   AMS is recommending the above substances continue to be included on the National List with a new sunset date of May 29, 2023.