Strengthening the National Organic Standards Board's review of substances under the Organic Foods Production Act
(Book - Regular Print)

Includes bibliographical references.

Food system sustainability is affected by inputs used in agricultural production, such as pesticides and fertilizers. In organic agriculture, inputs are regulated by the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) which limits the allowance of substances based on guidelines and evaluation criteria, codified in 6517(c) and 6518(m), respectively, of the law. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is responsible for evaluating the compliance of substances using these guidelines and criteria. An analysis of NOSB decisions over the past 20 years identifies inconsistencies and gaps in the alignment of its decisions with OFPA, and suggests that the NOSB has the legal jurisdiction to evaluate many more elements of sustainability under OFPA's broad guidelines for allowed and prohibited substances than are currently being employed. Recommendations are provided to the NOSB for expanding its scope of interpretation of the guidelines at 6517(c) of OFPA, using the concept of sustainability as a guiding principle. The recommendations also address improvements to the NOSB's evaluation process and documentation procedures to ensure thorough and transparent evaluations of 6517(c) of OFPA, which are essential maintaining integrity of the NOSB and its final recommendations.