NSF's nonfood registration program replaces USDA program

NSF International's new Nonfood Compounds Registration Program replaces the program formerly administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and discontinued in February 1998.

Products eligible for NSF registration include all compounds used in food handling, processing, and storage, such as disinfectants and lubricants. A user's NSF registration assures inspection officials and end users that food exposed to your products is safe for consumption.

The goal of the program is to continue the USDA approval program, and to enhance it so that registering a product against FDA and/or EPA Code of Federal Regulations is quick, easy and efficient.

Program features include:

• Toxicology review of ingredients
• Label review
• Category code verification
• On-line application

Products complying with the requirements are identified in the NSF Registration Listing. In addition, registered products carry an NSF Registration Number and NSF Mark directly on the product label. NSF registration assures inspection officials and end users that products are safe to use in food processing environments.

• The NSF Registration Guidelines document, which is patterned after the USDA evaluation criteria, is complete and available for free download here: http://www.foodonline.com/content/downloads/SearchResults.asp?pSearch=new, or from NSF International's website at www.nsf.org. The staff at USDA has reviewed the Guidelines document, which is now used to evaluate new submissions.

• All listings are on-line and easily searchable. NSF has loaded all the USDA listed products onto its website along with the products that NSF has registered. USDA products are listed in black font. NSF registered products are listed in blue font. There are more than 100,000 products listed, and they are searchable by company name, product name, USDA category code, and/or geography.

• The NSF registration mark is now in use and will replace the USDA approval on cleaners, sanitizers, lubricants, etc used in the food processing industry.

Behind the NSF Mark is an independent, not-for-profit profit standards development and product certification organization called NSF International, widely recognized for its scientific and technical expertise in the health and environmental sciences. Its staff includes engineers, chemists, toxicologists, microbiologists, and environmental health professionals with broad experience in both public and private organizations.

NSF International, 789 Dixboro Road, P.O. Box 130140, Ann Arbor, MI 48113-0140 Phone: 1-800-NSF-Mark; Fax: (734) 769-0109

Edited by Pam Ahlberg