The passage of the Organic Foods Production Act, a sub-section of the 1990 Farm Bill, provided the foundation for uniform national organic standards for the production and handling of foods labeled as “organic.” The Act authorized a new USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to set national standards for the production, handling, and processing of organically grown agricultural products and to oversee the certification of organic operations. The Act also established the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to ensure an open, balanced and transparent process for setting and revising organic standards. NOSB plays a critical role in the organic rulemaking process because it advises USDA on which production inputs should be allowed or prohibited in organic farming and processing. NOSB also makes recommendations on a wide variety of other standards issues, such as organic pet food standards, aquaculture standards, animal welfare standards, and organic inspector qualifications.
