The July 11 announcement furthers the goals of last year's presidential memorandum designed to increase rural job creation through procurement of bio-based products and increase the number of bio-based product categories and individual products eligible for preferred purchasing. There now are 97 designated categories representing around 10,000 unique types of products.


USDA has designated the following new categories: aircraft and boat cleaners; automotive care products, engine crankcase oil; gasoline fuel additives; metal cleaners and corrosion removers; microbial cleaning products; paint removers, and water turbine bearing oils. A full list was published in the June 11 Federal Register.

The BioPreferred Program, authorized in the 2002 and 2008 farm bills, also has reopened the web portal for companies to apply for the voluntary USDA Certified Biobased Product label. So far around 900 products have received the label.

Later this year the program is expected to finalize a rule that will extend to designating intermediate ingredients so products made from them could be part of the preferred federal procurement process. That regulation would also allow for the designation of complex assemblies that contain one or more components from bio-based ingredients.

Vilsack noted that a long-term Food, Farm and Jobs Bill would be important to continuing USDA's investment in the program, growing “opportunity for the creation of bio-based products across rural America — expanding manufacturing and creating jobs.” 
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—From USDA news release