[2] The UTZ program addresses agricultural practices, social and living conditions, farm management, and the environment.

In January 2018, UTZ officially merged with the Rainforest Alliance in response to the increasing challenges of deforestation, climate change, systemic poverty, and social inequity.

[5] In June 2017, the Rainforest Alliance and UTZ announced the intention to merge, and in January 2018, the merger was legally closed and completed.

UTZ cooperated with Ahold, Cargill, Heinz Benelux, Mars, Nestlé, and ECOM Agroindustrial to set up a new certification and traceability system for sustainable cocoa.

[12] The program was originally piloted in Turkey, but since then it has gone global and expanded to Georgia, Azerbaijan, Italy, Spain, and other countries.

The Code of Conduct version 2014[14] is based on the international ILO Conventions and the expertise of many stakeholders, including the farmers who use it.

[citation needed] A core code is applicable to all farmers, and there are also additional requirements in product specific modules for coffee, cocoa and tea.

[17] UTZ has developed, implemented and is currently managing the traceability system for the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.

Independent, third party auditors make annual inspections to ensure coffee producers comply with the Code of Conduct.

[18] An UTZ-trained agronomist is a technical consultant specifically trained in assisting producers to comply with the UTZ Code of Conduct.

[14] Trained agronomists can advise on practical implementation of elements of the Code and give directions on improvement of efficiency in farm management.

[20] Michael Conroy, an independent consultant on certification for sustainable development, criticized UTZ in his 2007 book Branded!

[21] UTZ's standards, for example, explicitly announces that genetically modified coffee plants, though not at present available, would be allowable so long as farmers obey local regulations on their use.

[22] In July 2012, German magazine Ökotest published an article labeling UTZ, among others, as unfair, due to a lack of pre-financing and guaranteed minimum purchase prices.