PCO’s experienced Materials Team is at your service to provide reliable, timely, and consistent organic materials reviews to ensure that input materials comply with National Organic Program regulations.
Material Reviews
Material Reviews
PCO’s experienced Materials Team is at your service to provide reliable, timely, and consistent organic materials reviews to ensure that input materials comply with National Organic Program regulations.
Get the answers you need with confidence.
PCO’s expert Materials Team delivers fast, dependable, and consistent reviews, helping you verify that your input materials meet National Organic Program requirements without the guesswork. With responsive support and trusted expertise, we make it easier to stay compliant and keep your operation moving forward.
Materials allowed in organic production:
If you’re a PCO-certified client or applicant, all materials used in your organic operation need to be listed in your Organic System Plan and approved before you begin using them—we’re here to help make that process as smooth as possible. PCO accepts input materials that have been reviewed for compliance with the National Organic Program by Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), as long as they’re used according to their approvals and any listed restrictions. At this time, we’re unable to accept review decisions from other certifiers.
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Most commonly referred to as “Inputs” or “Materials” - these are products used by operations in the production or handling of organic agricultural products. These include things like fertilizers, pesticides, livestock medical treatments, equipment cleaners/sanitizers, processing aids, etc. These types of products typically cannot be “certified” so instead they must be reviewed and approved for compliance. The organic regulations require that all materials must be disclosed to the organic certifier and approved for their specific use prior to use on an organic operation.
Input materials can be Allowed, Allowed with Restriction, or Prohibited. Restrictions, also known as annotations, are included in the regulations and may place requirements on the source or the use of an input material. Inputs are approved for specific uses, under specific criteria for each scope (Crops, Livestock, Processing/Handling). For example, an approved livestock medical treatment might not be allowed as a fertilizer, or even a livestock feed ingredient. One product may need to be reviewed under a few different criteria, sometimes even within one scope.
Several different parts of the regulation cover input materials, but the primary sections are 7 CFR 205.105 Allowed and prohibited substances, methods, and ingredients in organic production and handling and the National List at7 CFR Part 205 Subpart G. The NOP itself does not review brand name materials, but the National List covers substances which are exceptions to the general rule that non-synthetics are generally allowed and synthetics are generally prohibited.
Looking to learn more? Head over to our Organic Inputs in Organic Operations page for resources.
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Check to see if the input material is approved by a recognized Material Review Organization (MRO).
PCO accepts their reviews without the need for further review, so long as the intended use is the same as the use it was approved under. For example, if an input is approved by an MRO as a crop fertilizer and the product will be used as a crop fertilizer, PCO will accept that review. However, if an input is approved by an MRO as a crop fertilizer, yet a client would like to use the input as a livestock feed additive, PCO would need to conduct a review of the product for that intended use.
Approved Material Review Organizations are:
Check to see if the input material is approved by PCO.
PCO reviews material inputs, such as cleaners & sanitizers, livestock health care products, pest and disease control products, processing aids, etc., for our clients to determine whether their use is in compliance with the requirements of the National Organic Program, and the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Materials, as listed at 21 CFR 205.
PCO’s Approved Materials List contains several thousand approved brand-name products, as well as applicable restrictions. PCO does not provide any guarantee or endorsement for materials included on our lists.
Material Review Process Overview
Confirm that you are a current PCO client, Business Member, or ACA Member. NOTE: Membership will be sunsetting at the end of 2026.
Complete the material review request form (linked below), including all required details and as much supporting documentation as possible.
To complete the review, PCO may request additional documentation such as product labels, SDS, and spec sheets. All ingredient information is kept strictly confidential and used only for compliance purposes. See details here.
If applicable, PCO will issue an invoice for the review. A processing fee applies to credit card payments. By submitting a request, you agree to the invoice payment terms.
PCO staff may contact the manufacturer or requester for additional information to verify compliance with NOP regulations. You must provide the exact manufacturer name, material name, and intended use. Each intended use is billed as a separate review.
PCO will make up to four attempts to contact the manufacturer. If there is no response or participation, the material will be classified as Prohibited due to Insufficient Information. Review fees will still apply, and these materials will not be listed on PCO’s Approved Materials List.
Additional fees may apply for re-reviews due to formulation changes or submission of new information after a Prohibited due to Insufficient Information status has been assigned.
Once the review is complete, PCO will assign one of the following statuses: Allowed, Allowed with Restrictions, Prohibited, or See Notes.
You will be notified of the final determination. Approved materials may be added to PCO’s published Approved Materials List.
PCO Material Reports, Lists, and other resources may not be posted publicly or shared on the internet.
Request a Material Review!
If an input material is not already approved by OMRI, WSDA, or CDFA for the intended use, a request to have PCO review the product can be submitted. Please note that PCO will only accept material review requests from current PCO clients or 2026 ACA and Business Members.
Material Review Fees
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For fees related to submitting a material input request, please visit our Certification Fees & Costs page. Material review fees appear in the current fee schedule.
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For material review fees associated with the ACA and Business Membership, please visit the PCO Membership & Material Review Service Fee Schedule
To submit a review request, click the button below and provide all required information.
The more information you can provide, the quicker we can usually complete the review. If fees are applicable, you will be billed separately. We will begin the review as soon as possible and will notify you of the result as soon as we have a determination.
You can use our Input Material Ingredient Declaration Request Form or provide equivalent documentation about the product composition. Upload the completed form at the link above or email it to materials@paorganic.org
Interested in learning more about material inputs?
