The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

NSF International today announced that NSF Draft Standard 305: Organic Personal Care Products is available for public comment until March 3, 2008. This draft standard will be the first U.S. national standard to define organic labeling and marketing requirements for organic personal care products.

Previously, personal care product companies have had to work within the limitations of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program standards, which were written specifically for food. The NSF proposed draft standard may soon be used by companies that would like to make organic label and marketing claims, while meeting the strict requirements of this standard, which includes organic ingredient specifications.

Comments on the proposed draft standard may be submitted by visiting: http://standards.nsf.org/apps/group_public/add_comment.php?document_id=263.

These comments will then be reviewed by the joint committee who developed the standard, and incorporated where appropriate. Questions regarding the proposed draft standard or questions on how to submit comments should be directed to Lorna Badman, at 800-NSF-MARK, ext. 6806, 734-827-6806 or e-mail badman@nsf.org.

Background on the Draft Standard

NSF Draft Standard 305: Organic Personal Care Products encourages participation in the production of organic personal care products within the supply chain. The standard specifies materials, processes, production criteria, and conditions that shall be met in order for personal care products to make organic label and marketing claims.

The voluntary, consensus draft standard also contains requirements for agricultural ingredients, synthetic ingredients, and methods of extraction based on the final product’s label claim. Products covered by the standard include rinse-off and leave-on personal care and cosmetic products as well as oral care and personal hygiene products.

Standards Development Process

All NSF standards are developed through involvement of those who are directly and materially affected by the scope of the standard. Organic personal care manufacturers, trade associations, regulators, organic program administrators, organic product retailers, and other stakeholders from the organic products community participated in the development of the organic personal care standard.

NSF's consensus standards development process is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment systems. ANSI's accreditation verifies that NSF develops standards in a manner to ensure openness and due process. This method also ensures balanced participation from industry representatives, public health/regulatory officials, and users/consumer representatives.

If you have questions or would like additional information on the proposed draft standard, please contact Greta Houlahan at 734-913-5723 or houlahan@nsf.org.

Company profile

About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods (www.nsf.org).

Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.