The United States Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking comments regarding a proposed rule of new organic standards for pet food and mushrooms as they feel the current organic standards are not a good fit for these commodities.
In the proposed rule, AMS states, “Specific standards for these products do not currently exist. Instead, these products have been certified organic using the general organic standards for crops, livestock, and handling. However, this approach is not ideal as the current regulations do not address unique aspects of either product.”
The concerns center around the sourcing of substrate and spawn in organic mushroom production, composting requirements for organic mushroom production, composition and labeling requirements for organic pet food, and the use of certain synthetic substances in organic pet food.
Written comments to the proposed rule will be accepted until May 10th, 2024.