In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), AHPA expresses support for adding pullulan to the National List as a nonagricultural (nonorganic) ingredient for use only in tablets and capsules for dietary supplements labeled, “Made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)).”

USDA’s AMS issued a proposed rule on June 8, 2020 to amend the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances within USDA’s organic regulations by adding several substances to implement recommendations submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Of specific interest to AHPA, is the proposal to add pullulan.

AHPA membership includes numerous companies that grow herbal crops or market herbal products certified as organic under USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP), including herbal dietary supplements marketed in the form of capsules in which pullulan is an ingredient.

AHPA also expressed support for comments submitted by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which go into greater detail on the issue of adding pullulan to the National List.