Organic, what is it really worth? 26-04-2019

Your company has decided to become organic certified. The first step to become organic certified is to provide a company description, procedure of production or trading, customer complaint procedures, billing procedure, certificates of all the suppliers in the chain and a label of all the product specifications.

The process of becoming an organic supplier is strict. It is a process of mapping the production of organic foods and other agricultural products. Generally speaking, any venture that is directly involved in the food chain can become organic certified.

The requirements to become an organic certified supplier vary per continent (https://www.skal.nl/home-en-gb/about-skal/ec-legislation). Some requirements that have to be met in order to comply with the regulation of becoming an organic supplier are:

  • avoidance of syntheticchemical inputs (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives), irradiation, and the use of sewage sludge;
  • avoidance of genetically modified seed;
  • use of farmland that has been free from prohibited chemical inputs for a number of years (often, three or more);
  • for livestock, adhering to specific requirements for feed, housing, and breeding;
  • keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail);
  • maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products;
  • undergoing periodic on-site inspections.

Some continents even have government involvement regarding the organic listing. Suppliers and producers are subject to the same food safety regulations that apply to non-certified producers. The big difference is the use of pesticides. Some organic crops are next to conventional crops, cross contamination should be avoided (https://www.skal.nl/home-en-gb/food/).

So, what is the organic certificate really worth? Recapitulating we can say that the organic certificate is subject to different requirements throughout the world. Customers who want to know the ins and outs of an organic product, should start at the country of origin. What are the regulations, audits and government involvement regarding the organic certification there?

We hope this answers some questions you may have about the organic label. If you would like a copy of our certificates regarding our organic products, do not hesitate to contact our sales department at: info@dipasa.nl