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OMRI Advisory Council

The OMRI Advisory Council is composed of independent, professional experts from industry, academia, and public interest groups in the organic community. OMRI Staff, Review Panel, and Board also rely on the Advisory Council's expertise in setting the organizational policies found in the OMRI Generic Materials List and OMRI Operating Manual as well as to resolve issues that arise in the brand name review and organic standard setting processes. The Advisory Council serves the needs of the OMRI Brand Name Review Program, subscribing certifiers, the NOP, the NOSB, other subscribers, and other stakeholders. The OMRI Board of Directors appoints the Advisory Council. Members generally serve as volunteers.

Current Reports

Heavy Metals in Fertilizers Used in Organic Production
- Diana Tracy and Brian Baker

Heavy metals in fertilizers and other soil inputs are a threat to the sustainability of farming practices. Heavy metals may be taken up by plants and be present in edible tissue. Some heavy metals will be toxic to plants themselves. The presence of heavy metals in some fertilizers can also indicate the presence of prohibited sources and ingredients. The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) is evaluating its current standards to develop a standard for evaluating fertilizers and soil inputs.

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Report on Alkaline Extraction of Aquatic Plants
- Eric C. Henry

"OMRI is specifically interested in established parameters that set the limits for alkali concentrations needed for actual extraction versus levels beyond which extraction is replaced by nutrient fortification by the alkali and a pH buffer."

In other words, to answer the question:

"What parameter(s) and threshold(s) establish the minimum amount of potassium hydroxide required to extract the active constituents of aquatic plant products?"

Proceed to This Report...

Steam Generation in Organic Food Processing Systems
- NOSB TAP Review compiled by OMRI

Live steam is used to process a large number of foods, including many products that are sold as 'certified organic'. Equipment to generate steam and use it for industrial purposes has existed since at least the middle of the 18th Century (Britannica, 2001). Efficient use of steam to prepare food beyond household scale was documented by the early 19th century (Giedion, 1948). While fuels, metallurgy, control systems, and maintenance programs have changed since that time, the fundamental scientific principles, basic designs, and problems associated with those systems have remained constant. The production of superheated water under pressure suitable for direct food contact-known as 'culinary steam'-requires food-grade equipment, clean water, and sanitary conditions where food contact is a possibility. Food processors have fewer options in metals, water treatments, fuels, and other aspects of steam generation and boiler operations than those who operate boilers for non-food uses, such as electric power generation.

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