3 min read

Organic Rules and the Effect on Shipping Times

Written By: Mollie Jensen

Recently, the rules around organic certification were enhanced to prevent fraudulent activity along the supply chain. This is a good thing, though lately you may have noticed that some of the organic oils you purchase from us may have been out of stock or in limited supply. This is partly due to the new Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rules set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) this past March 19, which has been creating longer shipping times for some organic imported goods. Although we realize that this can be an inconvenience, we want you to understand that these new rules are meant to protect you, the consumer. Below are just a few of the changes. To read more on SOE, please visit the USDA website.

What Changed?

Expanded Certification Requirements: Previously, there were loopholes which allowed that some operators did not need to be certified. Now with the rule, all entities in the organic supply chain must be organic certified, with a few limited exceptions. This ensures greater accountability and transparency throughout the entire supply chain.

Import Certificates Required: The USDA now requires that each imported shipment containing organic products include a National Organic Program (NOP) Import Certificate. This ensures that any organic product entering the US meets US organic standards. Prior to SOE, the NOP Import Certificate was issued in paper form and oftentimes optional. Now it must be sent digitally from the Organic Integrity Database by the supplier’s certifying body prior to the date of import in order to pass through customs.

Fraud Prevention: Greater detail is required for any entity seeking or renewing organic certification. To help prevent fraudulent organic claims, a complete audit trail of correspondence between producers and buyers throughout the purchasing process is required as well as an Organic Fraud Prevention Plan. In addition, mapping out the supply chain and addressing critical control points is required.

Greater Certifier Oversight: All accredited organic certifying bodies must adhere to SOE regulations worldwide in order to import to the US. Mandatory trainings and monitoring practices of the certifiers by the USDA are now part of ensuring international standards. This includes providing accurate and up-to-date data reporting to the Organic Integrity Database.

Again, this is all good for the consumer in ensuring that the organic products you purchase are truly organic. Though what also comes with this is that farmers, producers and suppliers around the globe need to observe these guidelines and become – if they hadn’t already been – organically certified by an organization that follows the USDA rules. In addition, since an NOP Import Certificate must be sent with every organic shipment, this increases shipping time as some certifying bodies are experiencing a backlog of requests.

As the world gets used to these new standards, we believe that the processes will become more streamlined and the shipping flow may improve. Until then, we appreciate your patience!