USDA Organic Certification

Business Management and Education Institute (BMEI)

http://www.lostmanproject.com/blog/portfolio/rice-paddy-vietnam-ho-chi-minh-city-countryside-rice-fields-workers

Organic Certification

Organic certification verifies that a company’s farm or handling facility

complies with the USDA organic regulations and allows companies to sell,

label, and represent their products as organic using the “organic” label or

USDA organic seal.

Overview

• Methods• Types• Cost• Process• Application• Organic System Plans

(OSPs)• Labeling

Methods•International Organic Standard (U.S. Canada, EU, Japan)•Certifying Agent/ACA (all other countries)

Types•Organic Producer Certificate (crops, livestock)•Organic Handler Certificate (handling, processing)

Cost: varies

Certification Background

Process

Initial Certification•Application and fees submission•Application review•On-site inspection of operation •Application and inspector report review •Organic certificate issued or application denied

Recertification•Annual update submitted•On-site inspection•Application and inspector report review

Application

General Information•Owner information•Operation information•U.S. agent information•Organization status•Enterprises/products to be certified

Organic System Plans (OSPs)•Organic Farm Plan•Organic Livestock Plan•Organic Handling Plan

Organic Farm Plan

• Crop information• Field history and activity logs• Input application records and purchase/source records• Seed, planting stock, and transplant records• Monitoring practices description, record-keeping system• Audit trail documents• Soil and pest management activities• Contamination and co-mingling avoidance measures• Certification documentation of any organic product purchased for resale• Labels and labeling• Split operation procedures (if applicable)

Organic Livestock Plan

• Livestock information and care description• Origin of organic livestock• Feed, supplements, and additives description • Feed storage, processing, and rations description and information• Manure management• Physical alteration descriptions• Animal identification• Marketing/labeling description• Purchasing/breeding/replacement/sourcing/conversion plans• Ruminant livestock information (if applicable)

Organic Handling Plan

• Product identification and composition

• Facility map(s) and production flow chart(s)

• Off-site storage / contracted facilities information (if applicable).

• Documentation of sources of ingredients and processing aids

• Pest management, sanitation, water integrity, and organic integrity documentation.

• Labels and labeling.

USDA ORGANIC LABELING

“100 Percent Organic”

“Organic”

“Made with Organic”

“Special Organic Ingredients”

Summary

• Methods• Types• Cost• Process• Application• Organic System Plans

(OSPs)• Labeling