Voluntary Uniform Product Guidelines

Voluntary Uniform Product Guidelines (Page 1 of 3) Download a PDF of the Guidelines Version 7
These Uniform Product Guidelines (UPG) are voluntary product standards and definitions. MSC members are expected to subscribe to these guidelines in principle. However, companies enrolled in the MSC Product Certification Program must adopt these guidelines as mandatory standards as part of the program registration and licensing requirements.
Part I. Purpose and History The purpose of these voluntary Uniform Product Guidelines is to promote: 1) uniform terminology and labeling that enables industry, consumers, buyers, and regulators to achieve a common understanding of mulch and soil products and product ingredients 2) fair and open competition in the mulch and soil industry 3 standards for product performance that enable individuals to understand and choose the best product for their application. Part II. Product Categories Subject to the labeling requirements defined in Part III and product terms and definitions described in the Glossary of Terms (Part IV), mulch and soil products are divided into one of the following product categories: MULCH Any product or material except peat or peat moss, that is advertised, offered for sale, or sold for primary use as a horticultural, above-ground dressing. HORTICULTURAL GROWING MEDIA Any product or material advertised, offered for sale or sold for primary use as an in-container growing media with minimum product suitability determined by the test procedures defined in Appendices A & B of this document. LANDSCAPE SOIL & SOIL AMENDMENTS Any product or material advertised, offered for sale or sold for primary use as an in-ground soil amendment, conditioner or replacement. Landscape soils and soil amendments may be generally characterized in terms of pH and EC, but suitability for use is determined by the test procedure defined in Appendix C of this document. Part III. General Product Labeling The MSC recognizes the following labeling requirements for all mulches, horticultural growing media, and landscape soils/amendments. The source of these requirements is specified. 1) All products must have a label that declares the product identity. (AAPFCO1, NIST2) 2) Product names, ingredient names, soil characteristics, and label terminology must conform to the product definitions of this guideline. (MSC3) 3) Product names that incorporate or refer to a single specific material must be comprised of 100% of that material. (MSC3) 4) Product names that list a specific material as “first-mentioned” among other materials must be comprised of more than 50% of that product. (AAPFCO1) 5) Product names that list a component material or materials on other than a first-mentioned basis must be comprised of at least 10% of the named material(s) and such materials shall be listed in the name in the declining order of their volume content. (AAPFCO1, MSC3) 6) Product names which indicate a specific animal manure by picture, graphic, drawing, or any means other than by name (i.e., cow, sheep, poultry, etc.) shall contain more than 50% of that specific animal manure as part of its total manure content by volume. (AAPFCO1) 7) A product label shall appear on each product bag. Product labels shall contain an ingredient statement that lists the individual ingredients in declining order by percent of volume or weight as determined by the quantity statement. Individual ingredients must comply with accepted terms in Part IV (Glossary of Terms) of these guidelines. Materials that are less than 3% of total product volume, individually, may be grouped together under the category “other materials”. The specific percentage of product volume/weight of each listed material need not be given on the product label. (MSC) 8) All product packaging and labeling shall conform to requirements of NIST Handbook 133. 9) All products shall conform to AAPFCO Handbook 52 and each successive edition as well as the standards and guidelines of the MSC, and all product claims made must be verifiable using repeatable independent scientific methods. 10) Colorized Products must conform to the definitions and guidelines for the product name claimed. 11) Mulch or soil products shall not contain Chromated Copper Arsenate-treated (CCA) wood or any ingredients whose original manufacturer recommends against grinding or mulching. Click Box to Continue to page 2
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