No, it doesn't help others and isn't required in order for someone else to make organic products in your commercial kitchen. Shared kitchens cannot be certified separately from the product produced in them. Facilities, including shared kitchens, are part of the process of making the products, so the people who use your kitchen must include the kitchen as the production facility in their own…
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New to organic certification or looking to become certified and not sure where to start?
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No, products labeled as organic must be produced in an inspected and certified organic facility. If you own or lease the facility, you can easily add an uncertified facility location to your own certification. If you contract with the facility to produce…
Yes, as long as adequate measures are taken to distinguish organic from non-organic, and storage practices do not pose a commingling or contamination risk for organic ingredients. You do not have to have a physical barrier in place, but adequate separation and labeling should be in place to protect the organic product.
Yes, certified organic operations can use shared commercial kitchens to make their products, but they must certify the kitchen for their own use. In your application – called an Organic System Plan (OSP) – you will explain how you keep your products separate from any non-organic products or materials in the kitchen. You will also describe how organic product contact surfaces and processing…
Yes, you can use off-site storage facilities to store and distribute your products without having that location inspected or certified. Off-site storage facilities and distribution centers are not required to be certified as long as the products are packaged or otherwise enclosed in a container prior to being received or acquired. The product must remain in the same package and may not be…
No, you cannot use lumber treated with arsenate or other prohibited materials for new installations or replacement purposes in contact with soil or livestock. You may use treated lumber on parts of your property that are not included in your certification, or in areas where the lumber will not contact soil or livestock.
The National Organic Program (NOP) outlines a specific order of pest control methods in areas where organic products are processed, handled, or stored.
First use preventative measures, such as good sanitation, then mechanical measures, such as mechanical, sticky, or pheromone traps.
If preventative and mechanical measures do not adequately control pests, you may use NOP allowed materials from…
You must protect organic integrity during receiving, storage, processing, packaging, and transportation. Many certified operations process both organic and non-organic products without any difficulty. These operations are referred to as “mixed” operations. Mixed operations are responsible for protecting organic ingredients and products throughout production. This is done by preventing commingling…
Yes! Always submit changes that may affect compliance to CCOF for review. Changes to your facility location may require an update to your OSP and an additional inspection.
If your address is changing because your office or billing location has changed, simply complete the …