On June 17, the Naturals Products Association (NPA) announced goods containing the synthetic preservatives Tropolone and Chlorphenisin would be prohibited from gaining its “NPA Certified” seal.

The new and tighter standards are a part of the association’s goal to “remove all synthetic materials from its Natural Seal certification program” and were decided on by an NPA working group in June,

“The NPA certification is the gold standard in our industry, and we are constantly looking for ways to keep it as strong as possible," said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., executive director and CEO of NPA, in a news release. “This is a bold step that maintains our leadership position and gives consumers more confidence that the NPA seal means a product is truly natural.”

The new standards for goods also comes on the heels of the FDA asking the public for help, after receiving three citizen petitions, on its website in not only defining the term “natural”, but also suggesting the appropriate use of the term on food labels.

“As FDA considers how to define ‘natural,’ which could take years, NPA’s Natural Seal program remains the only U.S. based Natural Certification program that provides consumers and the industry with clear guidelines for natural products,” said Fabricant. “We have urged the FDA to look closely at NPA’s program as it wrestles with this challenging issue.”

Posted on WholeFoods Magazine Online, 6/20/2016