How To Get USDA Organic Certification For Food And Beverage Products

There has been much talk for quite some time over eating healthy, avoiding GMO foods, and buying products with ‘Organic’ labels only. The debate also extends to how expensive Organic foods can be and exactly what ‘Organic’ foods are. 

The United States Department of Agriculture defines organic foods as those foods grown and processed in line with federal requirements. These requirements range from soil quality, type of additives used, weed control, pest control, livestock rearing methods, etc. The goal is to use as much as possible methods and substances that are natural. This is the definition of products listed under USDA Certified Organics.

Various labels are used to identify USDA Certified products, including ‘USDA organic,’ ‘Certified Organic,’ or ‘100% Organic’.

For a product to qualify for USDA Organic Certification, it has to be made with ingredients that are at least ninety-five percent organic or natural. This also means that the ingredients have to be void of artificial additives and chemical substances such as fertilizers, pesticides, weed control, any other synthetic solutions, or genetic modification. The five percent left on the scale makes up the foods and products permitted to contain certain additives that have been duly approved. A good example of 100% organic foods would be fresh and unprocessed farm produce because they still retain their natural value and haven’t been processed yet.

How To Get USDA Certification

When a buyer picks up any food or product labeled organic in the fresh food market or the store, it is often difficult to ascertain exactly what makes such a product organic. Sometimes, a scan through the list of ingredients and nutritional tables doesn’t give much up. It would help to understand what organic foods entail, to help the buyer make more informed choices. 

On getting USDA Organic Certification, recipients must document the whole production process of their product(s) and go through an annual inspection of their site. These inspections tend to be all-encompassing as it puts the entire operation, from the growing process to the dirty jobs, to crop and soil management/health, down to the record books or inventories kept. The aim here is to observe the evolution of the finished product from start to finish to have the concrete proof needed to label a product as organic.

Fines are usually imposed for violation of the USDA labeling guidelines. While these have left mixed feelings and reactions all over the community, one can be rest assured that the product they are shopping for, which has an organic food label on it, has gone through necessary scrutiny and is most likely authentic.