The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) today recognized the work of accredited organic certifiers with awards for extraordinary support of the National Organic Standards. The awards were presented at the annual NOP Certifier Training for organic inspectors from around the world, held virtually. Ten certifiers were recognized for exceeding requirements for delivering high quality data to the Organic INTEGRITY Database in 2021. Two Certifiers were also recognized with a Director’s Award for outstanding contributions to work in organic certification.
“These awards recognize the success of our public-private partnership and demonstrate the close collaboration between certifiers and the program to protect consumer confidence and maintain a level playing field for organic farmers, ranchers and businesses,” said NOP Deputy Administrator Jennifer Tucker. “The work of these certifiers really stood out, even at a time when the overall quality and timeliness of the data being provided voluntarily continues to improve each year.”
Up-to-date public information about organic operations helps buyers and sellers find each other in the marketplace, making data an important market development tool. The USDA Organic Integrity Database makes it easy for anyone to look up the status of a certified organic operation and see the products that each farm and business has to offer.
The fifth annual Investing in INTEGRITY Data Quality Award winners are (listed alphabetically):
• CCOF Certification Services, LLC (CCOF) – Santa Cruz, CA
• Certificadora Mexicana de Productos y Procesos Ecologicos SC (CMEX) – Oaxaca, Mexico
• Clemson University (CU) – Pendleton, SC
• Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) – Des Moines, IA
• LACON GmbH (LACON) – Offenburg, Germany
• Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (MOCA) – Novato, CA
• MOFGA Certification Services, LLC (MCS) – Unity, ME
• New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food (NHDAMF) – Concord, NH
• Primus Auditing Operations (PAO) – Santa Maria, CA
• Quality Certification Services (QCS) – Gainesville, FL