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The Move to Organics and OMRI
By Dave Anderson, Product Development Manager at Woodstream Corporation
People today are growing more and more concerned about the use of toxic pesticides and their effects on the health of their families and the environment. Toxic chemicals from synthetic pesticides can persist for years and end up in the ground, air, water, and food supply. These chemicals have been associated with heath consequences from asthma to cancer. Traces of pesticide residues and their metabolites have even been found on produce. This is of particular concern for children due to their high metabolism and low body weights. In a response to these concerns, the EPA has been reviewing the toxicity of pesticides and their persistence in the environment. This has resulted in the banning of several products and limited the uses of many others.
To avoid the potential harm created by chemical pesticides many people have shifted to using organic products. As a result, the organic industry is booming. Organic products are no longer only available at farmers' markets. It seems like in every grocery store you walk into today there is a section dedicated to organic products. It has been estimated that in the U.S. alone, organic sales have grown from $1 billion in 1990, to $5.5 billion in 1998.
To meet the growing demand for organic products and to create uniformity, the National Organic Program (NOP) was developed by the USDA, establishing a list of allowed and prohibited substances that identifies synthetic substances that may be used, and the non-synthetic substances that cannot be used, in organic production. Pesticides that are allowed by the NOP do not persist in the environment. So choosing these products is an easy way for you to protect you, your family and the planet.
Identifying those products that meet the guidelines can be difficult if you don't know what to look for. Manufacturers may attempt to make their products appear to be organic by making claims that they “Contain Organic Nitrogen”, that they are “Botanically derived”, or even actually claim that they are organic, but that does not mean that they meet the NOP guidelines.
To help the organic industry identify those products that are truly allowed for organic production, a non-profit organization called the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) was created to provide independent reviews of materials and brand name products intended for use in certified organic production. OMRI offers manufacturers an independent professional review of their products to assure compliance with the NOP guidelines. OMRI has put together a national board of experts from the organic industry that reviews not only the ingredients contained in a product, but also the sources of those ingredients and how they are processed. This board decides whether a product is or is not approved for organic use. Products that receive OMRI approval carry the OMRI logo and are listed on OMRI's Brand Name Product List.
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