June 3, 2002

2 Min Read
USDA Accredits Organic Certifiers


USDA Accredits Organic Certifiers

WASHINGTON--The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in late April its first accredited organic certifiers under the National Organic Program (NOP), including 28 private entities, 10 state-accredited certifiers and four international agents. "This is an important step in the launch of the USDA organic program to provide greater marketing choice in the supermarket," said Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman.

Katherine DiMatteo, the Organic Trade Association's executive director, praised USDA's actions. "By accrediting a large number of these agencies and posting their names publicly, USDA is bringing consumers one step closer to more consistent labeling of organic products," she said.

Brian Leahy, president of California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), was also pleased by the news. "We worked very hard to achieve this goal, and we are proud to be among the first certification programs accredited," he said.

Privately Certified Bodies:

  • California Certified Organic Farmers

  • California Organic Farmers Association

  • Fertilizer & Seed Certification Svcs (South Carolina)

  • Georgia Crop Improvement Association

  • Global Organic Alliance (Ohio)

  • Guaranteed Organic Certification Agency (California)

  • Hawaii Organic Farmers Association

  • Indiana Certified Organic

  • Integrity Certified International (Nebraska)

  • International Certification Services Inc. (North Dakota)

  • Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Institute (Iowa)

  • Marin County (California)

  • Midwest Organic Services Association (Wisconsin)

  • Minnesota Crop Improvement Association

  • Monterey County Certified Organic (California)

  • NOFACMassachusetts

  • NOFACNew Jersey

  • NOFACNew York LLC

  • Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association

  • Organic Certifiers (California)

  • Organic Crop Improvement Association (Nebraska)

  • Organic Forum International (Minnesota)

  • Oregon Tilth

  • Pennsylvania Certified Organic

  • Quality Assurance International (California)

  • Quality Certification Services (Florida)

  • Scientific Certification Systems (California)

  • Stellar Certification Services (New York)

State-Accredited Agents:

  • Idaho Department of Agriculture

  • Iowa Department of Agriculture

  • Maryland Department of Agriculture

  • Montana Department of Agriculture

  • New Hampshire Department of Agriculture

  • New Mexico Organic Commodity Commission

  • Texas Department of Agriculture

  • Utah Department of Agriculture

  • Virginia Department of Agriculture

  • Washington State Department of Agriculture

Foreign-Accredited Certifying Agents:

  • BCSCOkeo Garantie Gmbh (Germany)

  • BioLatina (Peru)

  • Canadian Organic Certification Cooperative Ltd.

  • ECOCERT (France and Germany)

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