Organic inspectors are essential to ensuring organic integrity, and CCOF has a history of providing apprenticeships to new, prospective organic inspectors. Thanks to a grant from the National Organic Program (NOP) Human Capital Capacity Building Initiative, we were able to formalize our inspector apprenticeship in the CCOF Organic Inspector Mentorship Pilot Program.
La certificación orgánica es parte integral del sistema agroalimentario, un servicio esencial. Durante una pandemia de salud pública con órdenes generalizadas de permanecer en casa, CCOF utilizará técnicas novedosas de inspección para continuar brindando servicios esenciales del sistema alimentario mientras se adhiere a las prácticas de distanciamiento social recomendadas por las agencias gubernamentales de salud. Todas las operaciones certificadas deben estar preparadas para inspección, deben mantener registros requeridos y deben tener un plan de sistema orgánico actualizado.
Organic certification is part of the critical infrastructure of food and agriculture, an essential service. During a public health pandemic with widespread stay-at-home orders, CCOF is using novel inspection techniques to continue providing essential food system services while adhering to social distancing practices as recommended by government health agencies. All certified operations should remain inspection-ready and maintain required records and a current organic system plan.
Effective today, all CCOF organic inspections occurring in the United States are postponed with the exception of those necessary for new certifications with production within 60 days (i.e., new applications, add acreages, new facilities). Inspections for new certifications supports essential business infrastructure for our clients. These inspections may occur under the following conditions:
Updated: April 11, 2016
Field evaluations are required by the National Organic Program (NOP) for all certifiers. As a result, CCOF implemented a pilot program in 2015 that has been very successful. We appreciate the NOP’s requirement and are embracing it with additional time and effort in 2016.
CCOF’s five-person inspection operations team works together to manage CCOF’s 4,000 inspections annually. Inspection supervisors work with inspectors and clients to assign and manage regional inspection operations, ensuring CCOF inspections are performed on time and are cost effective. The inspection operations team works with a group of nearly 65 inspectors to assign inspections, manage the process, and ensure client and organizational needs are met.