NOSB Meeting Summary - January 2026

National Organic Standards Board Meeting Summary

The National Organic Standards Board held its fall 2025 meeting virtually on January 13-14, 2026. This delay was due to the government shutdown in November. Key aspects of the meeting covered compostable polymers, discussions of pear ester for insect management, chlorine used in livestock drinking water, integrating livestock with agroforestry, research priorities, consistency in organic seed use, e-commerce organic labeling, sunset review efficiency, and updates to the NOSB policy and procedures manual, which was postponed until the spring 2026 meeting. The NOP has not yet announced the dates for the spring NOSB meeting.

Compostable Polymers (Biodegradable Plastics) 

The NOSB voted against adding compostable polymers (biodegradable plastics), used as compost feedstock on organic land, to the National List as an allowed synthetic. The door remains open for petitions to add a specific item, such as leaf collection bags or fruit stickers. The board did approve a definition for compostable polymers. See OFA’s position on these topics in our written comments. 

Sunset Materials

Crops

• The board did not remove any materials scheduled for sunset in 2027. 
• The following will remain on the National List for another 5 years: potassium hypochlorite, soap-based algicides, ammonium carbonate, insecticidal soaps, sucrose octanoate esters, Vitamin D3, aquatic plant extracts, lignin sulfonate, fatty alcohols, sodium silicate, EPA list 4 inerts, paper-based crop planting aids. 
• Both arsenic and strychnine remain as prohibited natural materials in crops. 

Livestock

• The board did not remove any materials scheduled for livestock sunset in 2027.
• The following will remain on the National List for another 5 years: Butorphanol, flunixin, magnesium hydroxide, oxytocin, poloxalene, formic acid, sucrose octanoate esters, EPA list 4 inerts, and excipients.
• Strychnine remains as a prohibited natural for livestock.
• The board voted to change the annotation for oxytocin; this will take effect once the NOP publishes the change in the Federal Register in 18-24 months.
  “for use in post parturition therapeutic applications within 3 days of birth. It may not be administered to increase an animal’s milk production or for milk letdown.”

Handling

• The NOSB voted to remove cornstarch from the list of nonorganic agricultural products allowed in organic foods. This will take effect once the NOP publishes the change in the Federal Register in 18-24 months.
• The board did not remove any other materials scheduled for handling sunset in 2027.The board had a robust discussion about agricultural food colors derived from nonorganic fruits and vegetables that have sufficient organic production, but the Board did not achieve the required two-thirds vote to remove non-organic natural colors, so NOP will not require certified organic colors. 

Regulatory Proposals

• The NOSB passed the proposal for requiring testing of commodities in the global supply chain, which provides specific details for establishing a testing regime. In the future, the board will continue discussion on notification of fraud within the supply chain, and Unavoidable Residual Environmental Contamination (UREC).
• The board supported a proposal with definitions and future training opportunities for certifier staff and inspectors to focus certifier scrutiny on high-risk operations. This item will remain on the work agenda.
• The NOSB postponed other regulatory agenda items for discussion or vote at the spring meeting.
  • The spring agenda will include: Pear ester for insect management, chlorine used in livestock drinking water, integrating livestock with agroforestry, research priorities, consistency in organic seed use, e-commerce organic labeling, sunset review efficiency, and updates to the NOSB policy and procedures manual.

National Organic Program Update

• Import Certificates: Certifier–generated import certificates have been successful in identifying and preventing fraudulent imports, with over 300,000 generated since March 2024.
  • Still some loopholes: 30% of import certificates go through the EU or Canada under their equivalency agreements with the NOP, reducing NOP oversight.
• Top Imported Organic Commodities in 2025
  • $850 million of beef from Uruguay and Australia
  • $450 million of avocados from Mexico
  • $250 million of bananas from Ecuador
  • $500 million of coffee from Peru and Honduras 
  • $600 million of whole and processed organic soybeans imported from various countries 

• Blueberries from Peru, strawberries and raspberries from Mexico were also in the top 10 Challenges: Difficulty tracking the country of origin for imported processed soybeans and other commodities due to the fact the country-of-harvest is not maintained on the audit trail.
• The NOP is still reviewing past NOSB recommendations on ammonia extracts and highly soluble fertility inputs. The EPA did not identify negative impacts from these materials, but the NOP is still considering the NOSB vote to prohibit these products.
• Update on TDA: The NOP removed the accreditation of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s organic certification program three years ago. TDA repeatedly appealed multiple court decisions; during the 2025 NOP accreditation review, NOP found that TDA had addressed the compliance concerns and re-approved their accreditation.