From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Organic certification is an accreditation process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products. In general, any business directly involved in food production can be certified, including seed suppliers, farmers, food processors, retailers and restaurants. Requirements vary from country to country, and generally involve a set of production standards for growing, storage, processing, packaging and shipping that include:
- avoidance of synthetic chemical inputs (eg: fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc) and genetically modified organisms;
- use of farmland that has been free from chemicals for a number of years (often, three);
- keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail);
- undergoing periodic on-site inspections.
Organic certification addresses a growing worldwide demand for organic food. It is intended to assure quality and prevent fraud. For organic producers, certification identifies suppliers of products approved for use in certified operations. For consumers, "certified organic" serves as a product assurance, similar to "low fat", "100% whole wheat", or "no artificial preservatives".
It is interesting to note that certification is essentially a marketing initiative, aimed at regulating and facilitating the sale of organic products to consumers. Certification standards and organic laws do not affect existing agricultural policies or legislation. Individual certification bodies have their own service marks, which can act as branding to consumers - a certifier may promote the high consumer recognition value of its logo as a marketing advantage to producers, although they are certifying to the identical organic standards as their competitors.
In order to certify a farm, the farmer is typically required to follow several steps, in addition to normal farming activities:
For first-time farm certification, the soil must meet basic requirements of being free from use of prohibited substances (synthetic chemicals, etc) for a number of years. A conventional farm must adhere to organic standards for this period, often, three years. This is known as being in transition. Transitional crops are not considered fully organic. A farm already growing without chemicals may be certified without this delay.
Certification for other operations than farms is similar. The focus is on ingredients and other inputs, and processing and handling conditions. A transport company would be required to detail the use and maintenance of its vehicles, storage facilities, containers, and so forth. A restaurant would have its premises inspected and its suppliers verified as certified organic.
In some countries, organic standards are formulated and overseen by the government. The United States and the European Union have comprehensive organic legislation, and the term "organic" may be used only by certified producers. In countries without organic laws, government guidelines may or may not exist, while certification is handled by non-profit organizations and private companies.
In the US, the National Organic Program (NOP), was enacted as federal legislation in Oct. 2002. It restricts the use of the term "organic" to certified organic producers (excepting growers selling under $5,000 a year). Certification is handled by state, non-profit and private agencies that have been approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Quality Assurance International (QAI), a private US corporation with operations in many other countries, is the world's largest cerfitifaction body.
In Canada, the government has published a national organic standard, but it is a guideline only, not law. Certification is provided by private sector organisations. In Quebec, provincial legislation provides government oversight of organic certification within the province, through the Quebec Accreditation Board (Conseil D'Accréditation Du Québec).
EU countries have had a comprehensive organic legislation since the early 1990s.
In the United Kingdom, organic certification is handled by a number of organizations, of which the largest are the Soil Association and Organic Farmers and Growers. All the certifying bodies are subject to the regulations of the UK Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS), which itself is bound by EU legislation.
In Sweden, organic certification is handled by the private corporation KRAV.
In Japan, the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) was fully implemented as law in April, 2001.
Internationally, equivalency negotiations are underway, and some agreements are already in place, to harmonize certification between countries, facilitating international trade. There also international certification bodies, including the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the OCIA, and Ecocert. Where formal agreements do not exist, organic product for export is often certified by the agencies from the importing countries, who may establish permanent offices.
Organic certification is not without its critics. Some of the staunchest opponents of chemical-based farming and agribusiness practices, also oppose formal certification. They see it as a way to drive independent organic farmers out of business, and to undermine the quality of organic food.
Originally, the organic food industry was built mainly by small, independent farmers, selling locally. Organic "certification" was a matter of trust, based on a direct relationships between farmers and consumers. Formal certification is viewed by its critics as a barrier to entry for these original producers, by burdening them with increased costs, paperwork, and bureaucracy. It also provides agribusiness with a legal framework which can be used to manipulate regulations, allowing lobbyists to push for amendments, inclusions and exceptions favorable to large-scale production. The feared result is "legally organic" products, produced in ways similar to current conventional food. With organic products sold through supermarket chains, high volume distribution channels would then favor large producers, and the small organic farmer would be effectively squeezed out.
Manipulation of certification regulations as a way to dupe the public is a very real concern. In a complaint filed with the USDA in Feb 2004, against a food ingredient producer and its certifying agent (QAI, the world's largest certification agency), charged that tap water had been certified organic, and sold to other organic producers for use in a variety of water-based body care and food products, in order to label them "organic" under US law. Steam-distilled plant extracts, consisting mainly of tap water from the distilling process, were certified organic, and sold as an organic base for products like beverages, soups, and shampoos. These items then claimed the minimum 70% organic content reqiremed for organic labeling. In addition, according to the complaint, the small quantity of plant extracts contained in the "organic base" were not primary ingredients of the range of products concerned.[1]
The word organic is central to the certification (and organic food marketing) process, and this is also questioned by some. Where organic laws exist, producers cannot use the term without certification. Various alternative certification approaches, using terms like "authentic" and "natural" instead of "organic", are emerging. In the US, motivated by the cost and legal requirements of certification (as of Oct. 2002), the farmer-to-farmer association, Certified Naturally Grown, offers a "non-profit alternative eco-labelling program for small farms that grow using USDA Organic methods but are NOT a part of the USDA Certified Organic program."[1]
A related concern holds that certification is replacing consumer education, and this goes against the essential, holistic nature of organic farming. By reducing complex issues and regulations to a simple, convenient certified organic label, consumers are encouraged to ignore the principles and practices behind organics, leaving the definition of organic farming and organic food open to manipulation. Purpose of Certification
How Certification Works
In addition, short-notice or surprise inspections can be made, and specific tests (eg: soil, water, plant tissue) may be requested.Certification Around the World
Certification Issues
