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USDA Recognizes Certifiers for Outstanding Contributions to National Organic Program

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service sent this bulletin at 04/24/2019 03:58 PM EDT

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service national organic program organic insider

USDA Recognizes Certifiers for Outstanding Contributions to National Organic Program

_{Deputy Administrator Jennifer Tucker (center) with 2019 Investing in INTEGRITY award winners at the National Organic Standards Board meeting in Seattle, WA. Pictured L to R: Jodi Snyder and Becky Scheifele of GOA, Sam Welsch of One Cert, and Phil LaRocca, Mary Chramiec and Peter Nell of CCOF.}

NOP Names Eight '2019 Investing in INTEGRITY' Awardees

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Organic Program (NOP) honored eight USDA-accredited organic certifiers with a 2019 Investing in INTEGRITY award. Federally accredited certifiers are third-party organizations that certify and help enforce the regulations on more than 43,000 organic farms and businesses authorized to use the USDA Organic Seal.

The award recognizes certifiers who regularly go above and beyond the basic requirements to provide more comprehensive data on certified operations through the USDA Organic INTEGRITY Database (INTEGRITY). Better data deters fraud, helping ensure consumer confidence in the USDA Organic Seal.

2019 Winners:

California Certified Organic Farmers (Santa Cruz, CA)
Colorado Department of Agriculture (Broomfield, CO)
County of Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (Novato, CA)
Georgia Crop Improvement Association (Athens, GA)
Global Organic Alliance (Bellefontaine, OH)
New Mexico Department of Agriculture (Albuquerque, NM)
One-Cert, Incorporated (Lincoln, NE)
Primus Labs (Santa Maria, CA)

Launched in 2015, INTEGRITY makes data on current and former certified organic operations publicly available online from anywhere in the world for consumers, certifiers, retailers and anyone involved in bringing organic food and goods from the field to American homes. The ability to quickly confirm the organic certification status and other details of a farm or business helps certifiers support the organic community in fraud prevention.

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