Organic certification
For consumers, "certified organic" serves as a product assurance, similar to "low fat", "100% whole wheat", or "no artificial preservatives".
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.
For first-time farm certification, the soil must meet basic requirements of being free from use of prohibited substances (synthetic chemicals, etc.)
Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) represent an alternative to third party certification,[5] especially adapted to local markets and short supply chains.
In the US, motivated by the cost and legal requirements of certification (as of Oct. 2002), the private 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.
"[7] In the UK, the interests of smaller-scale growers who use "natural" growing methods are represented by the Wholesome Food Association, which issues a symbol based largely on trust and peer-to-peer inspection.
Organic certification, as well as fair trade certification, has the potential to directly and indirectly contribute to the achievement of some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are the eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, with all United Nations member states committed to help achieve the MDGs by 2015.
A study by Setboonsarng (2008) reveals that organic certification substantially contributes to MDG1 (poverty and hunger) and MDG7 (environmental sustainability) by way of premium prices and better market access, among others.
The Commission's main goals are to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the international food trade.
The Codex Alimentarius is recognized by the World Trade Organization as an international reference point for the resolution of disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection.
The vision is to establish the use of one single global reference (the COROS) to access the quality of standards rather than focusing on bilateral agreements.
[13] In the United States, "organic" is a labeling term for food or agricultural products ("food, feed or fiber") that have been produced according to USDA organic regulations, which define standards that "integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity".
[16] Operations seeking certification must first submit an application for organic certification to a USDA-accredited certifying agent including the following:[14] Certifying agents then review the application to confirm that the operation's practices follow USDA regulations, and schedule an inspection to verify adherence to the OSP, maintenance of records, and overall regulatory compliance[16] Inspection During the site visit, the inspector observes onsite practices and compares them to the OSP, looks for any potential contamination by prohibited materials (or any risk of potential contamination), and takes soil, tissue, or product samples as needed.
At farming operations, the inspector will also examine the fields, water systems, storage areas, and equipment, assess pest and weed management, check feed production, purchase records, livestock and their living conditions, and records of animal health management practices.
If the facility also processes or handles nonorganic materials, the inspector will also analyze the measures in place to prevent commingling.
Both of these categories may also display the "USDA Organic" seal, and must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel.
Any remaining agricultural ingredients must be produced without excluded methods, including genetic modification, irradiation, or the application of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, or biosolids.
[18] Organic certification mandates that the certifying inspector must be able to complete both "trace-back" and "mass balance audits" for all ingredients and products.
[25] Organic products are labeled with the Orgánico Argentina seal, which is administered by SENASA and issued by four private companies.
[34][35] The new logo is a green rectangle that shows twelve stars (from the European flag) placed such that they form the shape of a leaf in the wind.
Controlling of compliancy (to (ES) no 882/2004 directive) is provided by government body ÚKZÚZ (Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture).
In Germany the national label was introduced in September 2001 following in the footsteps of the political campaign of "Agrarwende" (agricultural major shift) led by minister Renate Künast of the Greens party.
[citation needed] Other active NGOs include Bioland (1971), Biokreis (1979), Biopark (1991), Ecoland (1997), Ecovin (1985), Gäa e.V.
[51] In Sweden, organic certification is handled by the organisation KRAV with members such as farmers, processors, trade and also consumer, environmental and animal welfare interests.
The state logo for organic products is registered as a trademark and owned by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
There is no specific legislation for domestic organic food standardisation and labelling at the state or federal level as there is in the USA and the EU".
Originally, in the 1960s through the 1980s, the organic food industry was composed of mainly small, independent farmers, selling locally.
It is reported that "Australian food producers are spending up to $50,000 to be certified organic by Chinese authorities to crack the burgeoning middle-class market of the Asian superpower.
Some examples are creating exceptions (allowing non-organic inputs to be used without loss of certification status) and creative interpretation of standards to meet the letter, but not the intention, of particular rules.
For example, a complaint filed with the USDA in February 2004 against Bayliss Ranch, a food ingredient producer and its certifying agent, charged that tap water had been certified organic, and advertised for use in a variety of water-based body care and food products, in order to label them "organic" under US law.
