The organic industry has an aggressive program underway to comply with a USDA directive requiring third-party reviewers and accredited certifiers to re-verify all organic liquid fertilizers with greater than 3 percent nitrogen by Oct. 1. The action was taken in response to two California companies “spiking” fertilizer with chemical nitrogen, triggering disciplinary actions against one and a federal investigation into the other’s actions (GM Feb. 2, 2009).
More recently, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of USDA’s organic standards. According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), a task force made up of growers, approved fertilizer manufacturers, accredited certifiers, and third-party materials reviewers has been assisting the industry since early March to develop standard protocols for verification of inputs.
OTA hopes to have all affected liquid fertilizer manufacturers submit products for approval by mid-July so processing can be completed by the Oct. 1 deadline. At the same time OTA emphasizes that verification of the liquid fertilizers is already underway. The aim is to have accredited certification agencies approve all organic system plans and therefore be ultimately responsible for the compliance of all materials used in organic production and handling.
“In response to concerns raised by the USDA memo,” OTA reported, “The Organic Materials Review Institute and the Washington State Department of Agriculture material registration program are performing inspections as fast as organizationally possible and anticipate having most or all manufacturers under their purview inspected by Oct. 1.”
Input manufacturers must maintain written and auditable procedures in place documenting receiving, storage, processing equipment cleanouts, and flushing and lockouts for organic compliant runs, and have these systems available for review by independent third-party inspection.
Claims in the Washington Post that the organic movement is moving away from its original intent in one instance by allowing use of some synthetic food substances is being refuted by OTA. The article focused on baby food, dairy products, and other products, but OTA responded that it doesn’t call into question the integrity of fresh produce. “It’s old news and urban legends,” OTA insisted. “Contrary to what is implied here, there is a very specific process that materials must go through before they are permitted for inclusion in organic products.”