OMRI Announces New Policy for Prohibited Products

(February 19, 2014) OMRI is dedicated to offering the best possible service for the organic industry. In response to feedback from suppliers, we are pleased to announce that OMRI will now offer a reformulation option for products that are determined to be prohibited under the organic standards.

For all future reviews, OMRI will offer companies one opportunity to reformulate a prohibited product without submitting a new application. This means that for any product assigned a prohibited status by an OMRI Review Panel, the company can reformulate to bring the product into compliance and continue with the same review process.

In order to retain review quality and timeliness, OMRI is offering a 30-day window for companies to submit proof of reformulation. Here are some other important facts about the new policy:

• Upon receiving notice of the prohibition, companies must choose to either accept the decision, rebut the decision, or reformulate. Companies cannot choose to pursue multiple options (i.e., suppliers may not reformulate and rebut the decision).
• If a company chooses to reformulate, the product change fee and all supporting information specified in the change report must be submitted within the 30-day timeline.
• If the reformulation is incomplete or results in a product that is still noncompliant, there will not be another opportunity to reformulate. At that point the company would need to reapply for another review. 
• Although prohibit notices include general information about the reasoning for the decision, OMRI cannot offer any consulting services to help companies produce a compliant formulation.