As USDA announces a new voluntary Common Organic System Plan (OSP) initiative, CCOF is proud to share the progress we’re making to simplify certification for our members. While CCOF is not transitioning to the Common OSP, we’ve spent the last two years reimagining our own OSP with one goal in mind: making it easier for you to apply, update, and maintain your organic certification.
The result? A Farm OSP that is 50% shorter, with clearer language, fewer repetitive questions, and a format informed directly by farmer feedback. Pilot participants told us the streamlined forms were easier to complete, easier to understand, and less time-consuming—without compromising the rigorous standards that consumers trust.
While these new forms are not yet available, we’ve completed a successful grower pilot and are carefully evaluating feedback to ensure a smooth implementation. This work affects multiple certification processes and tools, so we’re taking a thoughtful approach to rollout that maintains consistency, compliance, and a high level of service for our members.
And we’re not done yet. Similar streamlining efforts are now underway for Handler certification, with Livestock planned for next year, helping us continue our commitment to a certification process that is both rigorous and user-friendly.
At CCOF, we’re committed to streamlining certification with care and supporting organic integrity while making the process easier for the people producing, processing, and selling organic products.
We’ll share more information about implementation timelines and opportunities to participate as this work progresses.
Streamlining Organic Certification: The Common Organic System Plan (OSP)
The National Organic Program (NOP) has posted a Common Organic System Plan (OSP) for organic farms, businesses and certifiers. An OSP is central to the organic certification process, because it describes how a farm or business follows the USDA organic rules. The plan includes information on production practices, processing and how organic products are protected as they travel along supply chains.
The organic sector currently faces challenges with different OSP templates, varying formats and outdated forms. To address this problem, the new Common OSP provides a set of OSP templates that comply with the USDA organic regulations.
The Common OSP is designed to both streamline and strengthen organic certification across the sector. It provides standard content and clear expectations for documenting how an operation complies with the USDA organic regulations. The NOP encourages certifiers to adopt and use the Common OSP to improve consistency, support efficient oversight and help the organic sector meet the needs of a growing and increasingly complex marketplace.
Consistent with the public-private partnership structure of organic certification, many groups were involved in this project. The NOP thanks the following organizations who led the development of the Common OSP: Quick Organics, Wolf & Associates and the Accredited Certifiers Association. We also thank the many reviewers who provided feedback, including members of the Organic Farmers Association, National Organic Coalition, Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance and Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. NOP will work with key stakeholders to keep the OSP up to date over time.
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