Description :-

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General reported recently that they have failed to review required documents for products labeled as “organic”.  This finding and report mean a lack of controls at U.S. borders increases the likelihood that nonorganic products are entering the U.S. under “organic” labels. 

But importing fraudulent organic products is the tip of the iceberg with some imports showing “organic” on the labels when contents are adulterated with GMO, pesticides or are blatantly non-organic.  Indeed, the difference in pricing between organic and non-organic products continues to increase in the face of consumer demand and the need to preserve organic identity.

National Organic Program (NOP) standards were established in 2002.  With almost every type of product now flying the “organic” flag from thousands of farms into hundreds of thousands of restaurants and retail establishments, the likelihood of organic food fraud has grown along with the market.  The NOP prohibits the use of sewage sludge, GMO, ionizing radiation, synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, artificial preservatives, flavors, dyes and covers specific labeling rules or products labeled as organic.

The US Department of Agriculture reports punishable fines up to $11,000 and encourages reporting complaints.  They list fraudulent organic certificates and all companies legally certified as organic.  With organic sales jumping 23% in 2016, The Packer reports explosive industry growth that lends itself to fraudulent practices.

Why you should attend:

• Overall food fraud losses are estimated at between $10 and $15 billion annually on a worldwide basis.  Today thousands of U.S. companies buy, process and sell organic products.
• With the continuous expansion of the organic industry, pricing variations, and food fraud, companies need to protect the consumer, their industry and brand identity investment.  Receivers of so-called organic food need to be able guarantee consumers that the product has not been adulterated by pesticides, cross-contaminants, and other hazards, even though it was verifiably grown that wayAll companies need to review and develop new tools and technology designed to provide data that tracks and traces organic product through all processes in order to build a preventive supply chain.

What you will learn:

We will cover issues such as potential pesticide cross-contamination from previously carried loads,

NOP Standards

Verifying the Source Organic Food Shipments

Controls Over Transportation of Fresh Organic Foods

• Cross Contaminants – Sanitation Specifications
• Procedures and Controls
• Control over Previous Loads
• Lack of Border Controls
• Temperature Controls
• Inspection
• Food Security
• Farmers’ Markets

You will be able to use:

A tracking solution that allows shippers, carriers, and receivers to record and review data focused on

1. Tracking organic shipments from the source
2. Checking the shipment source against the NOP approved database
3. Checking to assure the container or trailer for organic shipment has been cleaned according to shipper/receiver specific requirements.
4. Assuring the container has been properly sealed
5. Assuring the temperature has been maintained throughout all shipment handoffs
6.  Verifying conditions at the receiving end
7.  Maintaining a complete record of all transactions.

The NOP site to help you assure you are dealing with organically certified suppliers

Who Should Attend:

• Buyers of Organic food
• Food safety and quality personnel
• Organic producers and processors
• Managers in retail and restaurant operations selling organic product
• Compliance officers
• Import personnel
• Food logistics professionals
• Sales and marketing personnel from organic labeling and certification organizations.