Two Certifiers Aim to Harmonize NaTrue and NSF Organic Standards

Posted: March 6, 2009

Quality Assurance International (QAI), a certification company based in San Diego, Calif., USA has teamed up with the Natural and Organic Cosmetic Association, a certification association based in Brussels, to establish a fast-track, mutual recognition process for the certification of products that comply with the requirements of the NSF Standard and the NaTrue Label.

The two are developing a draft guiding manufacturers on how to demonstrate compliance with both standards. After the draft is developed, certification with both labels can be conducted by any ISO 65-accredited organization.

According to both organizations, this collaboration will save manufacturers time and money. However, they also recognize that harmonization of both standards will be a challenging task.

On Feb. 18, 2009, NSF International announced that NSF/ANSI 305: Made with Organic Personal Care Products was adopted as an "American National Standard." It further announced that NSF/ANSI 305 is the first and only "American National Standard" that allows labeling and marketing requirements for made with organic personal care products.

The NSF standard allows “made with organic” claims for products with organic content of 70% or more that comply with all other requirements of the standard. Products covered by the standard include rinse-off and leave-on personal care and cosmetic products, as well as oral care and personal hygiene products. The standard establishes materials, processes, production criteria and conditions specifically for made with organic personal care products.