SAREP News
SAREP receives USDA grant for National Organic Program materials evaluations
In September 2001, SAREP was awarded a USDA contract to compile information for Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) reviews for the National Organic Program (NOP). The TAP review process is part of the NOP’s mandate to develop a comprehensive set of national standards governing certified organic systems. The USDA standards, set to go into effect in October 2002, will supercede the numerous state organic standards that have served as de facto organic certification guidelines since the passage of the federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA).
To determine whether a substance can be used in certified organic systems, the OFPA requires the establishment of a National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List), overseen by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). This list identifies the synthetic substances that may be used, and the non-synthetic substances that cannot be used, by organic production and handling operations. (By comparison, naturally occurring by-products of living organisms are considered allowed by definition and do not need to be added to the National List). Individuals and companies may petition the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to evaluate substances for inclusion on or removal from the List. The petitions undergo an independent, scientific TAP review, which the NOSB uses to make a final ruling regarding use of the substance in certified organic systems.
Under principal investigators Sean L. Swezey, SAREP director, and Jenny Broome, SAREP associate director, SAREP post-graduate researcher Sam Prentice is compiling information for several TAP reviews of petitioned substances. This information is forwarded to three qualified reviewers who provide professional input on the appropriateness of the use of the substances in organic agriculture. The reviewers’ input is incorporated into the TAP review, which is then submitted to the NOP for decision-making. For more information on materials review, see the NOP Web site at www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
