On May 17, the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) expanded functionality for the USDA Organic INTEGRITY Database (INTEGRITY) by launching a new Trade Partner Module. This new module is an expansion of INTEGRITY called the Global Organic INTEGRITY Database (GLOBAL). GLOBAL increases access and transparency to quality data in organic supply chains worldwide, increasing our ability to protect the integrity of organic products sold in the United States.
The GLOBAL Trade Partner Module is an important step in implementing the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule requirements. Since 2015, when NOP launched INTEGRITY, USDA-accredited certifiers have used the database to report on farms and businesses certified to the USDA organic standards. Similarly, the Trade Partner Module allows international certifiers to report on farms and businesses certified under our organic equivalency arrangements. When fully deployed, both USDA-accredited certifiers and certifiers working with other government organic standards that have been determined to be substantively similar will be able to generate electronic import certificates in GLOBAL.
NOP worked with Canada to test the new Trade Partner Module and to begin developing the next component of GLOBAL, which is the Electronic Organic Import Certificate module. To start, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency added certifiers into GLOBAL that were authorized to certify operations as organic under the Canadian and USDA organic standards. Feedback from these certifiers was used to refine the system and develop future enhancements.
NOP will continue to work with trade partners to add their certifiers, who – along with USDA’s certifiers - will use the module to generate electronic import certificates for all organic imports into the United States beginning March 19, 2024 (corrected). NOP will prepare users for the updated GLOBAL database by providing user guides and hosting user registration sessions as the launch date approaches. The Import Certificate Module is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2023. Information on operations will become available as trade partners start using the system.
NOP is committed to continuous improvement, and the annual peer review helps strengthen our organic accreditation, oversight, and enforcement program. The process is conducted by independent third- party reviewers who follow the process required by the Organic Foods Production Act and described in the Handbook document, Peer Review of National Organic Program Accreditation.
