Beginning in March, a new regulation from the US Department of Agriculture for foods with an organic label will come into effect.
The agency announced an update to the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations to tackle fraud and further enforce the production, handling and sale of organic products to boost consumer confidence.
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Cartons of organic milk sit on a refrigerated display case at the Shop & Save Market grocery store in Des Plaines, Illinois.
The rule comes in response to “industry requests for updates to USDA organic regulations and addresses recommendations from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB),” the USDA said in a news release Wednesday.
“Protecting and growing the organic sector and the trusted USDA organic seal is an important part of the USDA initiative to transform food systems,” said Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, in a statement.
Moffit added that the Strengthening Organic Enforcement Rule is the biggest update to organic regulation since the original 1990 law and offers a significant increase in oversight and enforcement powers to give confidence to consumers, farmers and those who rely on the organics switch to ecological production.
SOE helps protect “organic integrity,” the USDA explained, by assisting farmers and consumers by “maintaining strong organic control systems, improving traceability from farm to market, expanding import enforcement agency, and ensuring consistent organic enforcement.” – Regulations”.
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An organic food stand is on display at the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens in Goleta, California.
Below is a snapshot of the major updates according to the USDA:
- Require more companies, such as brokers and retailers, to be certified at critical links in organic supply chains.
- Requiring NOP import certificates for all organic imports.
- Organic labeling required on non-retail containers.
- Increasing powers for more rigorous on-site inspections of certified facilities.
- Demand uniform qualification and training standards for organic inspectors and certifying staff
- Requires standardized certificates of ecological operation.
- Requires additional and more frequent reporting of certified facility data.
- Establishes authority for more robust records, traceability practices and fraud prevention procedures.
- Specify certification requirements for producer groups.
This rule could affect USDA-accredited certifiers, organic inspectors, certified organic operations, operations considering organic certification, companies that import or trade organic produce, and retailers that sell organic produce, said the agency.
Businesses have one year to comply with the new requirements, which officially come into effect on March 20, 2023.