The United States National Organic Program (NOP), in December 2010, voted to accept the recommendation of the U.S. National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to prohibit engineered nanomaterials from the production, processing and packaging of certified organic products. According to this article, “The decision was made with little fanfare, but has big implications.” After detailing the history of the issue, the article reports on the NOP’s decision to accept the recommendations of the NOSB. The NOP said the lack of a legal definition is one of the biggest obstacles to regulating nanomaterials, and said it would be very difficult for organic producers and handlers, certifying agents and the NOP, to identify the presence of nanomaterials and verify their absence in organic products. The NOP said it “intends to gather additional information about how nanomaterials are regulated and used in agricultural production and handling,” primarily by gathering information from other agencies that are reviewing their regulatory oversight of nanomaterials. The article says, for nano stakeholders, “none of this is especially welcome news.” The authors regret that the NOP opted to reject convening a public symposium that would allow a diverse community of stakeholders to discuss key issues. While the process going forward is unclear, they say, the prohibition itself is stigmatizing to nanoscale materials generally. The article concludes: “Regardless of the merits of the NOP’s decision to adopt the prohibition, nano stakeholders may wish to urge the NOP to reconsider its decision to defer a symposium and urge it to convene a public symposium as soon as possible to ensure that all views are fairly and openly considered.” The article can be viewed online at the link below.
http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachArticle.aspx?cid=4280&codi=230184&lr=1