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New guidelines allow the OMRI seal under certain conditions.
By Sara Nienaber, Application Supervisor
(June 6, 2017) A regulatory directive released by the Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) now permits the OMRI seal (or other logos that communicate that a product is compliant with the Canada Organic Regime) for use in advertising pesticide products, if accompanied by...
What forms of cellulose are permitted and for what purposes? Specifically, what are ‘regenerative casings?’ Can hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) be used as organic supplement capsules?
By Brian Baker
There are many forms of cellulose that are available for different functional purposes in organic food processing. In organic processing, only powdered cellulose and inedible cellulose casings are permitted for use as anticaking agents or filtering aids, and as regenerative casings, respectively. Regenerative casings...
How can acidified sodium chlorite be used in organic food processing?
By Sam Schaefer-Joel
Acidified sodium chlorite (ASC) was added to the National List at §205.605(b) on March 15th, 2012. It is allowed to be used for both indirect food contact surface sanitizing and secondary direct antimicrobial food treatment. Indirect food additives and secondary direct food additives are regulated differently by the FDA. Indirect food contact use is fairly intuitive; for example, treatment of food processing equipment followed by...
Are OMRI Listed® products available to help remove ethylene from my processing facility?
By Doug Currier
Ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone, is biosynthesized naturally by many parts of a plant. It has multiple biological functions, which include stimulating fruit ripening. Ethylene production within a plant increases when stressors such as cutting or chilling occur during harvest and post-harvest handling. Where some organic growers purposefully add ethylene gas in post-harvest handling to ripen tropical fruits (...
A processor wants to use a baker’s yeast that lists sorbitan monostearate as a component of the yeast. Is sorbitan monostearate synthetic, and is it allowed?
By Lindsay Fernandez-Salvador
Sorbitan monostearate is a synthetic ester that is commonly used in the manufacture of food and health care products as a surfactant with emulsifying, dispersing, and wetting properties. It is used in yeast manufacturing to protect the yeast from excess drying and also helps rehydrate the yeast cells. Most of the baker’s yeast on the...
I know that glycerin is listed as an allowed synthetic for food processing, but I have also seen it in products used as crop inputs for organic agriculture—does glycerin have a nonsynthetic form?
By Sam Schaefer-Joel
Glycerin, also known as glycerol, is a small molecule with a large variety of uses. Its viscosity, polarity, solubility, and hygroscopic (water absorbing) properties give it a wide range of applications in agriculture, food processing, medicine, microbiology and industrial manufacturing....
How do the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations apply to the manufacture or use of metal proteinates in livestock feed?
By Amber Lippert
A metal proteinate is a mixture of a mineral (such as zinc sulfate) with a protein carrier (such as hydrolyzed soy protein meal). During mixing the metal compound (mineral) and ligand (protein source) bond together and create a chelate complex with more than one binding site. The chelated trace mineral is stable and protected during digestion from chemical reactions that would...
Is reverse osmosis permitted to treat water used in organic food processing?
By Brian Baker
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a technique that moves water under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane to remove impurities. RO membranes are permeable to the water and impermeable to the impurities. These membranes are comprised of synthetic substances such as cellulose acetate or polyamides.
Because water is not an agricultural ingredient and is netted out of the organic content in processed food, RO treated water does...
What is colloidal silver and can I use it for organic livestock?
By Brian Baker, Ph.D.
Silver naturally occurs in small concentrations in colloidal clays. These clays are called colloidal silver. Natural mineral deposits such as colloidal clays are permitted for use in organic livestock production under the NOP. To determine that it is natural, an interested user should demonstrate that the material is mined and mechanically processed without any additional chemical processing or synthetic additives.
Users...
The OMRI Generic Materials List© says that rockwool is synthetic and thus prohibited for use in organic agriculture. After doing some research, it looks to me like it is made from a natural basaltic rock. Why does OMRI consider it synthetic?
By Lindsay Fernandez-Salvador
Rockwool, also called mineral, rock, or slag wool, is one of the most popular growing mediums in hydroponics operations due to its versatility and water retention characteristics. It is manufactured from melting basaltic rock...
