Material Inputs
Materials allowed in organic production
PCO’s experienced Materials Team is at your service to provide reliable, timely, and consistent organic materials guidance to ensure that your inputs are in compliance with National Organic Program regulations.
Our Materials team reviews your material inputs for compliance with the requirements of the National Organic Program as part of our comprehensive certification service.
Each material used in your organic operation must be documented in your Organic System Plan and approved for use before you start using it. PCO accepts input materials approved for NOP by OMRI, WSDA and CDFA in accordance with their approved use and applicable restrictions. If you have a question on a specific material or to confirm if a product is allowed before use, please contact PCO. Your Certification Specialist can be a resource in addition to our Materials Specialists.Request a Material Review:
Have a new product that you would like to use as part of your organic system? You can easily submit a review, and we will notify you of the result as soon as we have a determination. The more information you can provide, the quicker we can usually complete the review.
How to find Allowed Materials:
PCO publishes an Annual Approved Materials List, which is provided to PCO members every year, both electronically and in print. To make sure your list is current, PCO also sends out quarterly Add/Drop Lists.
Our list of Approved Materials currently contains more than 4,000 approved brand name products, as well as applicable restrictions and contact information for suppliers. PCO does not provide any guarantee or endorsement for materials included on our lists.
Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
Washington State Dept. of Ag. (WSDA)
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
Hector Nunez C.
Materials Program Assistant Manager
April Kocis
Materials Specialist
Additional Materials Resources:
National List– The NOP itself does not review brand name materials, but the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances lists substances which are exceptions to the general rule that non-synthetics are generally allowed and synthetics are generally prohibited. Particular sections of the National List that you should be aware of include: §205.601 Synthetic Substances allowed in organic CROP production §205.602 Non-synthetic substances prohibited for use in organic CROP production §205.603 Synthetic substances allowed for use in organic LIVESTOCK production §205.604 Non-synthetic substances prohibited for use in organic LIVESTOCK production §205.605 Non-agricultural (non-organic) substances allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic” or “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s))” §205.606 Non-organically produced agricultural products allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organic”