review on its agenda and seeks public
comment, both written and oral, to
help inform its deliberations.
Several NOSB committees work on
materials reviews. The Crops, Livestock, and Handling Committees review the materials used in their
respective categories, while the Materials Committee looks at all petitions
and reviews.
NOSB committees base their materials reviews on the criteria spelled out
in OFPA, which says that if a material
is to be allowed for use in organic production and processing, it must not
be harmful to human health or the
environment; there must be no available materials that could be used as alternatives to allowed non-organic
substances; and, any materials allowed
must be consistent with organic farming and handling—a judgment the
Board has to make.
More specifically, the law requires
the committees to assess:
• whether a material would interact
harmfully with other materials
used in organic farming;
• whether and how the material
might be toxic;
• whether its “manufacture, use, misuse or disposal” might be polluting;
• what other effects it might have on
human health;
• what effects it might have on the
agroecosystem, including organisms, crops and livestock;
• whether there are alternatives; and
• whether it is compatible with a sys-
tem of sustainable agriculture.
Additionally, when reviewing syn-
thetics, NOSB must ensure:
• the material cannot be made from
a natural source and there are no
organic substitutes;
• the substance’s manufacture, use,
and disposal do not have adverse
effects on the environment and are
done in a manner compatible with
organic handling;
• the nutritional quality of the food
is maintained when the substance is used, and the substance and its
breakdown products would not have an adverse health effects;
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