The Novation® line of starches, available from National Starch and Chemical, Bridgewater, N.J., offers formulators a new tool in the development of organic foods. “The organic industry needs to reach out to mainstream consumers and offer them products that meet the flavor, texture and appearance of foods to which they are accustomed,” says Joe Lombardi, marketing manager.
The U.S. organic foods market is experiencing significant growth, especially after the USDA finalized new regulations last summer. The guidelines give four different labeling categories: 100% organic, organic (95% of the ingredients must be organic), made with organic (70-95% of the ingredients must be organic) and products with less than 70% organic ingredients (which will be allowed to list organic items in the ingredient panel only). The organic ingredients used in the claims need to be sourced from the USDA’s National List. This list is approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (omri.org), Eugene, Ore., a technical review group for the USDA. Currently, the Novation line of food starches is the only approved brand name in its category and the company is pursuing 100% organic certification.