Organic Agriculture And Organic Certification In The United States

The safety, quality and environmental protection of organic food and other organic products produced by organic farming is becoming more and more popular among consumers all over the world.

The United States is currently one of the largest consumer markets of organic agricultural products in the world. Organic agricultural production has formed a certain scale. The United States is also one of the exporters of organic agricultural products in China.

The following are some introductions to organic laws and organic certification in the United States, so that the production and export enterprises of organic produce can learn from it.

Organic agriculture and organic products market in the United States

Organic agriculture in the United States started earlier. In the late 80s of last century, more and more farmers began to engage in organic agricultural production as consumers increased demand for healthy foods without chemical preparations and farmers' awareness of the pollution of chemicals.

According to the statistics in 2003, there were 8035 Organic Certified farms in the United States, with an area of 2 million 200 thousand mu under organic production management, 8 million 800 thousand organic livestock and 745273 mu of organic pasture.

The United States is currently one of the world's largest markets for organic agricultural products, and most of its organic products are sold domestically. 5%~7% is sold abroad and is also a major importer.

Of all the vegetables and fruits consumed, 25%~40% comes from imports, and organic agricultural products from developing countries are mainly exported to the United States.

More than half of the US imports come from Mexico, mainly tropical crops, anti season crops such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and some special products such as ethnic minorities.

There are more and more organic farm products in the United States, including almost all kinds of traditional foods. The market of organic cereals, fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices has already reached a certain scale. The main organic agricultural products currently exported are soybeans, food ingredients and processed fruits, vegetables and other products, mainly exported to Australia.

In the United States, the demand for organic agricultural products has maintained a sustained and rapid growth. Over 75% of Americans buy organic produce. The main factor that encourages people to buy organic fruits and vegetables is its quality, health and safety to human body.

Consumers believe that organic fruits and vegetables are more fresh and natural, and taste more pure. But the main factor that inhibits people's enthusiasm for buying organic food is their excessive prices.

Organic agricultural products regulations

In 1990, the organic food products Act 1990 (Organic Food Production Act of 1990) formulated by the United States stipulated the production procedures of national organic food, the national standards of organic food, and the procedures of national certification.

In addition to the bill, in December 21, 2000, the Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA) branch of the United States Department of agriculture (Marketing) formulated the organic agriculture Ordinance (NOP), which was put into effect in April 21, 2001 and formally implemented in October 21, 2002.

The Ordinance defines the definition, applicability and organic crops of organic agricultural products in detail, lists the permitted and prohibited substances in organic agricultural products, and promotes the development of domestic and international markets for processed foods made from fresh or organic foods.

The Ordinance is mandatory. Under the Ordinance, all organic exports to the United States must be inspected and certified by the United States Department of agriculture accredited certification bodies.

Organic Agriculture Organization

The United States Department of agriculture has established the National Organic Standards Committee (NOSB), which consists of 15 members, represented by representatives from different fields such as production, consumption, trade, management and research of organic agricultural products. It helps the Ministry of agriculture to formulate standards for the permitted use of substances in organic products, assist in the formulation of national organic agricultural standards in the United States, and also recommends that the Ministry of agriculture implement international organic procedures in other areas.

Agricultural Market ing Service is a branch of the US Department of agriculture, which formulates and implements relevant standards for organic products.

Organic agricultural products certification authority in the United States

The organic agricultural products in the United States must be inspected and certified by the accreditation agency approved by the United States Department of agriculture, and the agency must operate fully in accordance with the ISO65 guidelines. The certification body may be a government agency or a private institution.

As of August 23, 2006, there were 95 Accredited certifying Agents institutions in the United States, of which 55 were domestic certification bodies and 40 were foreign certification bodies.

The United States attaches great importance to the certification and supervision of agricultural products, and has many functional departments responsible for it. Among them are the Ministry of agriculture, the Ministry of health and human services, the food and drug administration, the food safety inspection bureau, the animal and plant health monitoring and Quarantine Bureau, the environmental Protection Agency and the Customs Department.

There are 3 ways for foreign goods to enter the US market: the accreditation bodies in the United States apply for accreditation in the following ways; the competent authorities in the country can assess and determine the requirements that have met the NOP, apply for it, USDA decides whether to recognize it according to the request of foreign governments; USDA is equivalent to the standards and certification procedures of foreign government agencies, so the United States can recognize organic agricultural products from this country.

Identification of organic agricultural products

The identification of organic agricultural products in the United States is divided into 4 levels, namely, 100% organic and organic (organic content is greater than 95%), organic content (70% to 95% organic content) and non organic (organic content less than 70%).

As follows: "100%ORGANIC" (completely organic food) is mainly used for vegetables and fruits; "ORGANIC" (products with an organic rate of more than 95%); "MADE WITH ORGANIC INGREDIENTS (composed of organic components)" (composed of organic components, materials, and organic products with an organic rate of more than 70%.

This product does not label "organic", but can list organic ingredients and materials; "CONTAINS ORGANIC INGREDIENTS (including organic ingredients)" (organic ingredients, materials below 70%, such food does not label "organic", but it can list organic ingredients and materials). Among them, the organic "USDA ORGANIC" label can be pasted on organic food with organic rate of 100% and 95%.

The standard applies not only to domestic products, but also to products imported from abroad.