The organic food industry is a very big business in the United States. Customers spent $63 billion in 2021 for food free of pesticides and contaminants. But are you actually getting what you paid for, and can you trust that everything with the “certified organic” label actually is organic? Perhaps not. But stronger enforcement and labeling guidelines are coming and are expected to restore consumer confidence and trust when purchasing organic products.
Starting this March, a new rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will go into effect for organic foods, and those involved in the supply chain will soon have to comply with stricter labeling guidelines under new requirements. The agency is updating the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations in an effort to crack down on fraud and further enforce the production, handling, and sale of organic products. This stems in part from some cases of businesses not following the appropriate procedures to qualify as organic. In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice recently indicted parties alleged to have been involved in a multimillion-dollar fraud operation to export nonorganic grain to the United States with the intent of selling it as a certified organic product.
“Protecting and growing the organic sector and the trusted USDA organic seal is a key part of the USDA Food Systems Transformation initiative,” Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said in a statement.
The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule will be the biggest update to the organic regulations since the original Act in 1990. It will result in a significant increase in oversight and enforcement authority and will serve to reinforce the trust of consumers, farmers, and those transitioning to organic production.
SOE will support farmers and consumers by:
- Upholding strong organic control systems
- Improving farm to market traceability
- Increasing import oversight authority, and
- Providing robust enforcement of the organic regulations
The updates to the certification process include the following:
- More of the businesses in the organic supply chain, like brokers and traders, must become certified.
- NOP Import Certificates will be required for all organic imports.
- Organic identification on nonretail containers will be required.
- More rigorous on-site inspections of certified operations will be enforced.
- Training standards for organic inspectors and certifying agent personnel will be standardized.
- More robust recordkeeping, traceability practices, and fraud prevention procedures will be required.
Companies will have a year to comply with the new requirements, which officially take effect March 20, 2023. But in the meantime, it is always helpful to “know your farmer” and purchase locally grown products if possible. And better yet, to grow your own!
If you are interested in having your own backyard organic garden, please Contact Us. We are currently taking orders for Spring gardens.
Sources:
- https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/new-usda-rule-strengthens-integrity-foods-labeled-organic-96561565
- Federal Register: National Organic Program (NOP); Strengthening Organic Enforcement