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USDA National Organic Program
Back in 1920's to 1940's writers in the United States and Great
Britain introduced the idea that the health of the product consumed
into the body had a direct correlation to health of a person. They
advocated for a new approach to farming based off this ideal. Since
those times, things have come a long ways.
The Beginning of the NOP
The National Organic Program, or NOP, did not develop over night. In
the 70’s, United States activists formed groups and created standards
by which they felt farmers should adhere to. Many farmers complied with
getting their products certified organic with what became the
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) seal. This model soon
became the model for the Organic Food Production Act of 1990.
Certified Organic Food in the ‘90s
Organic sales started sky rocketing in the 90’s and congress then
saw it fit to pass the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA).
This was the beginning base of the National Organic Standards. Come
1997, for the first time in the organic industries business, the
National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) fought for stricter standards
on themselves. Rallied together in 2000, the consumers and industry members
bombarded the USDA with 275,000 petitions on the proposed National
Organic Standards (NOS) asking for tighter standards for the organic
farmers. In 2001, the USDA passed the NOP and it was officially
implemented on October 21, 2002 as the USDA National Organic Program,
or NOP. From this date on all organic product that met the NOP
standards were labeled certified organic.
The Role of the NOP Today
The NOP is responsible for all the developing, implementing and
administration aspects of organic agriculture products. This
encompasses all the handling and labeling standards as well as
accreditation of foreign and domestic agents that inspect any aspect of
organic production to insure they meet the USDA guideline standards. Basically, what the NOP does is govern every stage of organic food
production. In order for any producer of food to be allowed to label
their product organic must first go through rigorous certification by
the NOP. This aids in protecting the consumer that the product they
purchase is 95% organically produced and safe for consumption as well
as know that what they are purchasing is truly organic. Business that
do not exceed in sales over $5,000.00 are exempt from having to be
certified, although still have to abide by the NOP standards and cannot
claim their product is USDA NOP certified organic.
What Organic Means to the NOP and USDA
Organic simply means the difference in how one farmer produces or
grows his product compared to another. Organic products are grown
without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and weed control
chemicals. Traditional farmers use all of the previous. The belief
behind organic farming is that it helps society out in many different
ways. For instance, practicing of organic farming reduces pollution,
conserves water, and encourages healthy soil. Organic farmers utilize
compost and manure to fertilize and feed their products. By rotating
crops, tilling and pulling weeds manually, organic certified farmers
lessen the weed production removing the need for chemical weed controls
used by traditional farmers. This reduces pollutants in the air and
chemicals on product. They utilize natural forms of insect control such
as other insects less harmful to the crops, birds, and traps to reduce
infestation. Livestock for meat and milk byproducts are fed organic certified
food as well as natural habitat food. Stalls are kept very clean to
help prevent livestock disease. Use of antibiotics is prohibited as
well as use of synthetic chemicals, artificial preservatives, or
additives such as sodium nitrates. The National Organic Program
inspects and follows every phase of the production of certified organic
meats from the farm to the supermarket to ensure it is in full
compliance of the USDA NOP standards. No one knows what tomorrow will bring in the organic production
field, but one can take solace in knowing when they purchase USDA NOP
certified organic products they are not only aiding in the health of
the environment but know exactly what it is they are consuming.
Monterey Bay Spice Company Organics
Monterey Bay Spice Company is certified organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI). Please visit our online catalog to see our full listing of Organic Spices, Organic Herbs, and Organic Teas.
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