CCOF International Programs

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Exporting Organic Product

Would you like to sell your products outside of the United States, Mexico or Canada? CCOF is an expert in organic exports and routinely works with foreign certifiers and governments to clarify requirements and address concerns. CCOF has several programs designed to review your operation and products for compliance to international markets.

These programs are available to clients who wish to export organic products or sell raw products to any buyer who requires international verification of certification. Clients exporting to the US, Canada, the EU, UK, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or Mexico need to enroll in one of these programs.

When you enroll in our Global Market Access or Mexico Compliance programs, your operation will be reviewed by CCOF staff to determine if your product meets the requirements of the importing markets. If compliant, these products will be listed as eligible for export on your Organic Certificate and you will be able to request the needed export documents from CCOF for your international shipments.

Which Program is Right for You?

Global Market Access (GMA) enrollment is needed if you do any of the following:

  • Export organic products to Canada, the EU, UK, Switzerland, Japan, Korea or Taiwan from the United States
  • Export organic products to Canada from Mexico
  • Export organic products to the US, EU, UK, Switzerland, Japan, or Taiwan from Canada
  • Design labels for products that will be sold in Canada, the EU, UK, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, or Taiwan

When you enroll in the GMA program, CCOF reviews your operation for compliance with the requirements of the equivalence arrangements between:

  • USDA National Organic Program (NOP) with Canada, the EU, UK, Switzerland, Japan, Korea and Taiwan
  • Canadian Organic Regime (COR) with the US, EU, UK, Switzerland, Japan, and Taiwan

To enroll send a completed GMA Application to inbox@ccof.org. If you plan to export wine to the EU, UK or Switzerland from the United States, you must also complete the GMA Wine Application.

See CCOF’s GMA Manual for fees and additional program information.

CCOF International pages:

The CCOF GMA program does not include the Canada Mexico Organic Equivalency Arrangement (CMOEA) at this time. If your operation is located in Mexico and you export to Canada, CCOF will review your products to the U.S./Canada equivalence arrangement under the GMA program. If you are located in Canada and are interested in exporting products to Mexico, please contact export@ccof.org.

If your operation is located in Mexico and shipping directly to the EU, UK, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, or Taiwan, you are not eligible to enroll in the CCOF Global Market Access program for these markets. Mexico does not have equivalence arrangements with these markets and the US equivalences only apply to operations located in the United States. You must apply for certification to these standards with an accredited certifier.

Mexico Compliance Program enrollment for certification to the Mexican organic standards (LPO) is needed if you: 

  • Grow, handle, process, repack, or relabel organic product in Mexico
  • Design labels for products that will be sold in Mexico  
  • Export products with organic claims to Mexico from the United States. These products must be accompanied by a Control or Transaction Document for Mexico.
  • Sell CCOF certified organic product to any buyer who requires LPO certification.

To enroll, send a completed Mexico Compliance Program Application to inbox@ccof.org

See CCOF’s Mexico Compliance Program Manual and visit the Mexico page for more information.

If you are located in Canada and are interested in exporting products to Mexico, please contact export@ccof.org.

You do not need to enroll in any international program if you:

  • Grow crops that are exported by another certified organic operation or used as ingredients in products exported by another certified organic operation.

Export Documentation

Visit CCOF’s Export Certificates page to access export documents for the EU, UK, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and others.

International Labeling

CCOF has developed an International Market Labeling Guide to explain labeling requirements for organic products sold in various markets. This and other labeling tools are available on our Labeling and Logos resources page.

Contact export@ccof.org with additional questions about international programs or exports!