USDA allows continued use of 12 substances in organic production

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published a final rule allowing the continued use of 12 substances in organic production and handling that were due to sunset this year.

The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances details non-agricultural ingredients that are allowed to be used as ingredients in foods labeled organic or made with organic ingredients. This list is reviewed every five years.

The substances that will continue to be allowed under the final rule published August 3 are:

• Ferric phosphate and hydrogen chloride; to b used in organic crop production.
• Egg white lysozyme, L-malic acid, and microorganisms; to be used as ingredients.
• Activated charcoal from vegetative sources; as a filtering aid.
• Cyclohexylamine, diethylaminoethanol, and octadecylamine; to be used only as a boiler water additive for packaging sterilization.
• Peracetic acid/peroxyacetic acid; to be used in wash and / or rinse water according to FDA limitations and as a sanitizer on food contact surfaces.
• Sodium acid pyrophosphate; to be used only as a leavening agent.
• Tetrasodium pyrophosphate; to be used only in meat analog products.