The demand for organic food continues to increase in the United States and Europe. In the US,
organic certification to the National Organic Standards is required for all organic sales. Europe
has similar organic standards but separate certification requirements that must be met in order to
gain access to the European organic market.
United States Organic Standards
The US National Organic Program (NOP) was fully implemented on Oct. 21, 2002. The NOP is
a federal law that requires all organic food products to meet the same standards and be certified
under the same certification process. All organic producers and handlers must be certified by
accredited organic certification agencies unless exempt or excluded from certification (under
$5,000 in sales, retailers)
The NOP preempts states from having organic standards that exceed the National Organic
Standard. Nonprofit organizations, for-profit certification groups and others are prohibited from
developing alternative organic standards. All organic food products must be certified to the
National Organic Standards (NOS). The NOP prohibits organic certification agencies from
exceeding or granting exceptions to the federal organic standards.
In order to qualify for using the organic label, producers and handlers must be certified by NOP
accredited certification agencies. Both state agencies and private organizations may be NOP
accredited. The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is a NOP accredited state
certification agency. All organic producers and handlers must implement an Organic Production
and Handling System Plan that describes the practices and procedures that the operation utilizes
to comply with the organic practice standards. Organic practice standards require protection of
natural resources including soil and water quality, crop rotation, an IPM approach to pest
management, and handling practices that prevent commingling and contamination. Organic
producers and handlers must complete an Organic System Plan that describes the operations
practices, lists all materials utilized in the operation, and describes the recordkeeping system
utilized to track organic products produced or handled by the facility.
The NOS establishes the National List, which allows all nonsynthetic (natural) materials, unless
specifically prohibited and prohibits all synthetic materials unless specifically allowed.
Approved post harvest materials include biopesticides, sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide,
hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, citric acid and lignin sulfonate. Natural waxes such as
carnauba and shellac are allowed as long as all the ingredients are natural, including any
emulsifiers.
The NOS establishes four label categories based on the percentage of organic ingredients in the
final product. These categories include 100% organic, organic, made with organic, and less than
70% organic ingredients. Each category has specific requirements regarding

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