Organic Standards Proposal Announced

March 8, 2000

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman has issued a proposal for national standards for organic food. He called it "the most comprehensive and strongest organic standard in the world."

Former USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Ellen Haas said the proposals "are long overdue" but "certain to reduce consumer confusion in the marketplace ... Consumer demand for organic foods is skyrocketing."

Haas echoed Glickman’s belief that "a single national organic standard, backed by consistent and accurate labeling, will greatly reduce consumer confusion. Consumers will know what they are buying and organic farmers will know what is expected of them."

The proposal calls for labeling standards based on the percentage of organic content. If a product is 100% organic, it can be labeled as such; a product that is at least 95% organic can be described as, for example, "organic cereal"; if a cereal, for example, contains between 50% and 95% organic content, it can be described as "cereal made with organic ingredients" and up to three organic ingredients can be listed. If the food contains less than 50% organic content, the term "organic" may appear only on the ingredient information panel.

A "national list of allowed and prohibited substances" identifies specific substances that may or may not be used in organic production and handling operations. The list identifies items which otherwise would be prohibited but which may be used in organic production based on the recommendation of the National Organic Standards Board.

For products with mostly organic content – where more than half the ingredients are organic and have the word "organic" on the main product label – genetically engineered ingredients would not be allowed. Only products in which fewer than half the ingredients are organic and in which the organic ingredients are identified only on the ingredient panel "could contain non-organic ingredients produced through excluded methods."

"We believe consumers have expressed a clear expectation that these methods should not be used in the production of any ingredients contained in mostly organic products," said USDA. "Because prominent use of the word "organic" on the label of such products reinforces that expectation, we have chosen to prohibit use of excluded methods in production of both the organic and non-organic ingredients."

Fact sheets and other background materials on the proposed rule can be obtained from the Internet at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.