Yeast

Can nonorganic yeast be used in organic processing?

By Corinne Kolm

Nonorganic yeast may be used in organic processing under certain conditions. In October 2012, the National Organic Program (NOP) rules for the use of yeast in processed goods changed to include a commercial availability clause when the yeast is used in a product for human consumption. This change means that organic yeast must be used in human food products unless organic yeast is not “commercially available,” defined as “the ability to obtain a production input in an appropriate form, quality or quantity to fulfill an essential function in a system of organic production or handling, as determined by the certifying agent in the course of reviewing the organic plan.” Thus, nonorganic yeast may be used if organic yeast is not commercially available, or if it is used for a purpose other than for human consumption (such as in livestock feed). Per NOP Guidance 5014, yeast is eligible for organic certification if it is grown on certified organic feedstocks.

To reflect this change, all of the OMRI Generic Materials List© categories for yeast were updated to an Allowed with Restrictions status that reflects the requirement to use organic yeast for human consumption unless it is not commercially available. Nonorganic yeast products may be OMRI Listed® in these categories as long the following conditions are met: 1) the yeast is not grown on petrochemical substrate or sulfite waste liquor, 2) any growth media or ingredients remaining in the final yeast product are organic or on the National List, 3) the yeast and other ingredients are not produced using excluded methods (e.g., genetically modified), and 4) smoked yeast is produced using a nonsynthetic smoke flavoring process. Certified organic yeast will be denoted as organic in the OMRI Products List© with a special symbol. As always, final allowance to use any input is at the discretion of the certification agent.

Revised and updated in June 2016 by OMRI Technical Director Johanna Mirenda. This article was originally published in the Winter 2013 edition of the OMRI Materials Review newsletter.