The US Department of Agriculture issued a new requirement for labeled organic food. The move is aimed at boosting oversight and cracking down on fraud.
All about USDA rule on organic food:
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Thursday issued new guidelines and requirements for food with the organic label. The move is aimed at boosting oversight and cracking down on fraud. The rule is strengthing the strict definition of “organic,” relying on “natural substances and physical, mechanical or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible”. The rule requires the National Organic Program certification for all organic food imported. Hence increasing certifications of the supply chain and boosting the authority for record-keeping, inspections, fraud, and traceability.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) lobbied for the rule and stated it is the representation of the biggest change in organic regulations since the beginning of the USDA organic food program. OTA stated it “will do much to deter and detect organic fraud and protect organic integrity throughout the supply chain”. As per the report by OTA, the sale of organic food in the country topped $63 billion in 2021.
More on the new rules
However, organic food such as grains and fresh produce are the most vulnerable to fraud. In this month alone, officials from the US Department of Justice issued charges in a multimillion-dollar scheme. The scheme was aimed to export non-organic grain to the US, sold as certified products. The new rule issued by USDA will take effect in March. However, firms will have a period of one year for complying with the requirements.
“Protecting and growing the organic sector and the trusted USDA organic seal is also a key part of the USDA Food Systems Transformation initiative,” stated Jenny Lester Moffitt. Moffitt is the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs of the USDA. “The Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule is the biggest update to the organic regulations since the original Act in 1990, providing a significant increase in oversight and enforcement authority to reinforce the trust of consumers, farmers, and those transitioning to organic production. (https://boxmining.com/) This success is another demonstration that USDA fully stands behind the organic brand,” he added.