04.01.10
As demand for natural products continues to rise, the Natural Products Association (NPA), Washington, D.C., is extending its natural seal and standard to include home care products, such as household cleaners, laundry detergents and concentrated and ready-to-use hard surface cleaners. The standard comes amid growing consumer confusion about what makes a product natural. Under the new program, products must follow strict guidelines set out by the NPA to merit bearing the seal. The criteria include, but are not limited to: Product must be made up of at least 95% truly natural ingredients or ingredients that are derived from natural sources, excluding water; no ingredients with any suspected human health risks; no processes that significantly or adversely alter the natural ingredients; ingredients that come from a purposeful, natural source (flora, fauna, mineral); processes that are minimal and don’t use synthetic/harsh chemicals; non-natural ingredients only when viable natural alternative ingredients are unavailable and only when there are absolutely no suspected potential human health risks.