OMRI Brand Name Product List, Technical Reviews Now Available Online at Omri.org December 16, 1999 For immediate release Contact: Kathleen Downey OMRI Executive Director 541-343-7600 541-343-8971 fax EUGENE, ORE.-Organic growers, processors, handlers and certifiers can now access the Organic Materials Review Institute's "Brand Name Product List" online at www.omri.org. OMRI has also posted 16 Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) reviews that were conducted for the U.S. National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). As the NOSB votes on the reviewed materials are available, results will be posted to the omri.org site. "This posting of the list to omri.org makes one of our most valuable tools easy to access and update," says Bill Wolf, president of the OMRI board of directors. "As organic agriculture and demand for certified organic product continues to grow, we want to make OMRI's services available through every possible avenue and appropriate technology." The "OMRI Brand Name Products List" represents OMRI's recommendations and opinions regarding the acceptability or unacceptability of products used in organic production, processing and handling. Manufacturers apply to have their brand name products reviewed by OMRI's technical staff, after which a review panel of leading experts from the organic industry votes on a product's status. OMRI's standards were developed after reviewing various governmental and certification standards; however, OMRI's recommendations and opinions regarding use of any listed product do not necessarily coincide with applicable governmental or organizational standards. Also available at omri.org are 16 Technical Advisory Panel reviews that OMRI conducted for the NOSB. OMRI gathered technical background information, created databases for each material, and secured three or more TAP reviewers for each material. The reviewers, whose identities were kept confidential by agreement with the National Organic Program, represented a geographical cross-section with professional expertise pertinent to the review process. Reviewers evaluated and analyzed materials against criteria approved by the NOSB and conclusions and recommendations were sent to the National Organic Program. For more information on the Technical Advisory Panel process, please visit www.omri.org. The Organic Materials Review Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides professional, independent, and transparent review of materials and compatible processes allowed to produce, process, and handle organic food and fiber.