International Organic Certification
Imported organic produce from Latin America (and elsewhere) is subject to certification standards and guidelines just as stringent as produce produced in the United States. Under the US Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), the USDA is required to review the certifiers of imported organic produce, in order to ensure that they meet the requirements of the US National Organic Program (NOP).
Foreign certification agencies may apply directly to the USDA for recognition and are evaluated on the same criteria as domestic agencies. Alternately, foreign governments (many of whom, like Chile and Argentina, have national organic standards in place) may apply to the USDA or the US government for recognition of equivalency in their organic oversight program. Once accreditation or recognition is granted, organic products produced under the supervision of the certifying agent or foreign government will be eligible for import to the US as certified organic.
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When the NOP was implemented in 2000, certifying agencies in the US and abroad began working towards USDA accreditation. The deadline for accreditation was October 21, 2002. Today, all organic products sold in the US are certified by a third-party agency recognized by the USDA. CF Fresh only imports organic products certified by internationally respected agencies with USDA accreditation.
Argentina has had national standards in place since 1995 and all Argentine organic products are admissible in the European Union and the US. Each organic certification agency must be registered with the SENASA (Servicio Nacional de Salud), a government agency under the Ministry of Agriculture. This body is in charge of guaranteeing that the rules and regulations are followed. Any certifying agencies that do not adhere to the guidelines are penalized or their license is suspended indefinitely. The most well known certifiers in Argentina are Argencert and OIA (Organización Internacional Agropecuaria).
In Chile national standards went into effect in 1999 under the supervision SAG (Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero), which is the counterpart of the PPQ (Plant Protection and Quarantine) branch of USDA. There is at least one native Chilean certification agency in the country today CCO (Certificadora de Chile Organica). In addition to local certifiers, there are some American and European certifiers that have expanded their certification programs into Latin America. Companies like Oregon Tilth, IMO from Switzerland, and BCS Öko-Garantie from Germany certify growers in Central or South America.
Beyond certifying the farms themselves, certifying agencies both in the US and abroad also scrutinize the packing, storage, and transportation of all organic and transition products. Boxes or other packaging must be clearly marked as containing organic products, and all shipments are carefully documented and tracked to insure against contamination en route from the farm to the consumer. In the rare instance that accidental contamination does occur, the product is immediately stripped of its organic status and must be sold as conventional or destroyed.
The need for worldwide harmonization of organic certification and production standards has been a high priority for the international organic community. Increasingly, the trend is toward cooperation among the certifiers, both governmental and independent, with the goal of ensuring the integrity of organic products to the consumer. The implementation of the NOP in the US was a valuable step in bringing consistency and legitimacy to the rapidly growing global organic market.
Downloads and Information
For more information on International Organic Certification and the National Organic Program, visit the official USDA National Organic Program website.