Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making it easier for consumers to
identify biobased products through the release of its proposed
BioPreferredSM labeling rule. USDA’s BioPreferred labeling program,
published today in the Federal Register, intends to create a product
label that would appear on qualifying BioPreferred biobased products.
When final, this regulation will allow biobased product manufacturers
to participate in a voluntary labeling program to identify biobased
products on retail store shelves.

“Increasing the purchase and use of biobased products is a priority
of the Obama Administration because it helps increase our nation’s
energy security and independence by using American agricultural
products, while spurring economic development in rural areas,” said
Vilsack. “Consumers want to make more informed product choice decisions
and BioPreferred will help them. This label will help consumers,
businesses and Federal government purchasers easily identify biobased
products.”

Manufacturers will be able to utilize the BioPreferred label, when
finalized, to help customers identify their products as biobased.
Currently, USDA has identified more than 15,000 commercially available
biobased products across approximately 200 categories, from cleaning
products to construction materials. Biobased products are available to
consumers today and the new label will help make these sustainable
products more accessible and serve as a valuable marketing tool for
manufacturers and vendors of biobased products.

Biobased products are products that are composed wholly or
significantly of biological ingredients – renewable plant, animal,
marine or forestry materials. A BioPreferred designated item is one
that meets or exceeds USDA-established minimum biobased content
requirements.

This Federal Register notice announces the program’s intent to
create and make available a voluntary product label for increased
commercial and consumer promotion of biobased products. USDA, through
the publication of this draft rule, seeks to notify and gather feedback
from interested groups and the public-at-large on this process.

 

More information about BioPreferred’s proposed labeling rule can be found at www.biopreferred.gov or contact BioPreferred at biopreferred@usda.gov.
BioPreferred encourages interested parties to submit comments on the
proposed rule until Sept. 29, 2009. To submit comments go to http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-17610.htm.

The BioPreferred program was created by the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) as a preferred procurement
program to increase the purchase and use of biobased products within
the Federal government. The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008
(2008 Farm Bill) expanded the program’s scope to promote the sale of
biobased products in other sectors.

BioPreferred is comprised of two programs: a preferred procurement
program for Federal agencies and a voluntary labeling program for the
broad scale marketing of biobased products. A complete list and
detailed description of each BioPreferred designated item, and items
for future designation, can be found at www.biopreferred.gov

or follow BioPreferred at http://twitter.com/BioPreferred

for the latest updates.

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