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About Biopreferred

USDA BioPreferred Program Notification

Due to the absence of funding in the Farm Bill extension legislation (i.e., the "American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012"), USDA has suspended the processing of applications for voluntary certification of biobased products. USDA will continue limited activities related to the Federal procurement preference program, such as adding products to the BioPreferred catalog, as staff resources allow. All existing biobased product label certifications (900 'USDA Certified Biobased Products' as of December 31, 2012) are and will remain valid.

Many general questions about the BioPreferred program can be answered at our FAQ page here.

Review this factsheet for more information about the impacts to and status of specific BioPreferred program projects.
Introduction to BioPreferred

The purpose of the USDA BioPreferred® program is to promote the increased purchase and use of biobased products. The program is expected to promote economic development, creating new jobs and providing new markets for farm commodities. To the extent that the BioPreferred program achieves its purpose, the increased purchase of biobased products will also be expected to reduce petroleum consumption, increase the use of renewable resources, better manage the carbon cycle, and may contribute to reducing adverse environmental and health impacts.  

Two Major Initiatives

The USDA BioPreferred program has two major initiatives:

Product Labeling
USDA certifies and awards labels to qualifying products to increase consumer recognition of biobased products.

Federal Procurement Preference
USDA designates categories of biobased products that are afforded preference by Federal agencies when making purchasing decisions. If you are interested in suggesting a new product category for designation, contact us.

 
 
 
 
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