Strengthening Organic Systems, LLC

🌟 Educational Opportunity! 🌟 Attention all certifiers, inspectors, quality personnel, and compliance enthusiasts! 🚜🔍 Mark your calendars for August 16, 2024! Our esteemed experts, Gwendolyn Wyard and Johanna Phillips, will be delivering an inspection-focused training on Fraud Prevention Plans in collaboration with the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). Don’t miss this chance to enhance your knowledge and expertise in fraud prevention within the organic industry! 🌱🛡️ 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/ga-zgHkn OR via IOIA's website: https://lnkd.in/ga55De9g Course Description: Organic Fraud Prevention Plans are now required for all certified operations under the SOE regulation update, but each plan will be unique to the operation and built from its own assessment including a unique set of science, data and common sense. With no one right answer, what should the organic inspector be looking for? What should you be reporting? In this training, you will review the origins and strategy of a fraud prevention plan followed by an in-depth look at organic fraud prevention plans for crops, livestock, and handling. High-level considerations (internal and external) will be explored along with specific examples of vulnerabilities and corresponding mitigation strategies. Finally, potential non-compliances for incomplete or inadequate plans will be discussed, inspection questions and tips will be highlighted, and helpful tools and resources will be provided. Cost: $200 for non IOIA members $175 for IOIA Supporting Members $100 for IOIA Inspector Members Join us and stay ahead in ensuring the integrity and transparency in organic certification. 🌍✨ #OrganicIntegrity #FraudPrevention #IOIA #OrganicTraining #ComplianceExcellence #SustainablePractices #LearningOpportunity #OrganicStandards

ORGANIC - THE GOLD MEDAL CHOICE IN AGRICULTURE

The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule, first published in January 2023 and implemented on March 19, 2024, is the single largest update to USDA organic regulations since the creation of the USDA National Organic Program (Agricultural Marketing Service) and has been a sea change for the organic sector. To keep our members informed on this critical rule, we recently held a webinar, NOP Enforcement in the SOE Era: The Power of Data, in which Dr. Jennifer (Jenny) Tucker, Deputy Administrator for USDA’s National Organic Program, provided an in-depth overview of how implementation of SOE is progressing. Read our full recap and find highlights of the data shared by Dr. Tucker here: https://bit.ly/3xGQw6U

🌿 Opportunity to Correct Organic Misunderstandings 🌿 There's a real chance here to help both the media and consumers better understand what organic truly means. A recent article by US News misses some critical aspects of organic production and falls short of providing adequate consumer insight into their choices. 📰❌ I wish they'd checked with USDA National Organic Program (Agricultural Marketing Service) or Strengthening Organic Systems, LLC before they published this. While it's true that certified organic animal products offer superior assurances of animal welfare and stringent controls over living conditions and feed, and that organically grown crops are produced on land without prohibited synthetic or natural materials (requiring a 3-year transition period), the article leaves out crucial information about processed certified organic products. Let’s clear things up: ➡ 100% Organic: Products in this category must be produced without any added materials and contain only 100% organic ingredients. Even a processing aid can disqualify a product from being labeled 100% organic. 🌾🛡️ ➡ Organic (95% Organic): These products contain at least 95% organic agricultural ingredients. The remaining 5% can include only materials allowed on the National List under the USDA National Organic Program. Often, these products exceed 95% organic content, and all ingredients and processing aids undergo rigorous review. Nonorganic products cannot claim such careful vetting against a national standard. 🥗✅ ➡ Made with Organic (70% Organic): These products must contain a minimum of 70% organic ingredients. The leftover 30% must comply with the National List or the formulation requirements for this labeling category. 🍪 Overall, organic products provide greater clarity about food contents, restrict nonorganic ingredients and additives, and offer consumers assurances through certification under the federally enforced USDA National Organic Program (Agricultural Marketing Service). 🌿🔍 While the US News article is a start, it lacks comprehensive research into what organic certification entails. Consumers deserve to know the full scope of organic benefits, beyond just cost considerations. Trust me, you'd be surprised to know what's allowed in canned and processed food. It's worth noting that under the USDA Seal, someone is carefully reviewing and approving contents and through compliance and enforcement, operations who fail to meet requirements are penalized. 🔗 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gJqRxpgy #OrganicFood #ConsumerAwareness #USDAOrganic #FoodIntegrity #OrganicStandards #CertifiedOrganic #Health #Sustainability

🌟 Educational Opportunity! 🌟 Attention all certifiers, inspectors, quality personnel, and compliance enthusiasts! 🚜🔍 Mark your calendars for August 16, 2024! Our esteemed experts, Gwendolyn Wyard and Johanna Phillips, will be delivering an inspection-focused training on Fraud Prevention Plans in collaboration with the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). Don’t miss this chance to enhance your knowledge and expertise in fraud prevention within the organic industry! 🌱🛡️ 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/ga-zgHkn OR via IOIA's website: https://lnkd.in/ga55De9g Course Description: Organic Fraud Prevention Plans are now required for all certified operations under the SOE regulation update, but each plan will be unique to the operation and built from its own assessment including a unique set of science, data and common sense. With no one right answer, what should the organic inspector be looking for? What should you be reporting? In this training, you will review the origins and strategy of a fraud prevention plan followed by an in-depth look at organic fraud prevention plans for crops, livestock, and handling. High-level considerations (internal and external) will be explored along with specific examples of vulnerabilities and corresponding mitigation strategies. Finally, potential non-compliances for incomplete or inadequate plans will be discussed, inspection questions and tips will be highlighted, and helpful tools and resources will be provided. Cost: $200 for non IOIA members $175 for IOIA Supporting Members $100 for IOIA Inspector Members Join us and stay ahead in ensuring the integrity and transparency in organic certification. 🌍✨ #OrganicIntegrity #FraudPrevention #IOIA #OrganicTraining #ComplianceExcellence #SustainablePractices #LearningOpportunity #OrganicStandards

🌟 Educational Opportunity! 🌟 Attention all certifiers, inspectors, quality personnel, and compliance enthusiasts! 🚜🔍 Mark your calendars for August 16, 2024! Our esteemed experts, Gwendolyn Wyard and Johanna Phillips, will be delivering an inspection-focused training on Fraud Prevention Plans in collaboration with the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). Don’t miss this chance to enhance your knowledge and expertise in fraud prevention within the organic industry! 🌱🛡️ 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/ga-zgHkn OR via IOIA's website: https://lnkd.in/ga55De9g Course Description: Organic Fraud Prevention Plans are now required for all certified operations under the SOE regulation update, but each plan will be unique to the operation and built from its own assessment including a unique set of science, data and common sense. With no one right answer, what should the organic inspector be looking for? What should you be reporting? In this training, you will review the origins and strategy of a fraud prevention plan followed by an in-depth look at organic fraud prevention plans for crops, livestock, and handling. High-level considerations (internal and external) will be explored along with specific examples of vulnerabilities and corresponding mitigation strategies. Finally, potential non-compliances for incomplete or inadequate plans will be discussed, inspection questions and tips will be highlighted, and helpful tools and resources will be provided. Cost: $200 for non IOIA members $175 for IOIA Supporting Members $100 for IOIA Inspector Members Join us and stay ahead in ensuring the integrity and transparency in organic certification. 🌍✨ #OrganicIntegrity #FraudPrevention #IOIA #OrganicTraining #ComplianceExcellence #SustainablePractices #LearningOpportunity #OrganicStandards