At IOS, we have reviewed and evaluated hundreds of input materials for compliance with organic regulations, part of our combined nearly three decades of work performing organic inspections and reviews, as well as OMRI inspections, since 1996.
We understand that obtaining certification of your materials, like that offered by OMRI, WSDA and CDFA, is important to your company and the organic industry as a whole. That’s why we offer help to guide you through the often confusing process applying for and obtaining these credentials.
We take the mystery out of applying for these certifications. The application process for OMRI and other “third party materials review organizations” can be very confusing, especially if you’re submitting a multi-ingredient or high-nitrogen liquid fertilizer. Is my vermicompost subject to pre-harvest interval restrictions or not? Why is potassium bicarbonate allowed as fungicide on crops but not as an ingredient in fertilizers? Don’t worry if you’re confused. The regulation of organic input materials under the US national organic law is the most confusing organic regulation in the world, but we understand it.
Help choosing the right materials review agency. We know the organic landscape. Because were are familiar with and/or have worked for OMRI and WSDA, and have performed in-house reviews of materials for several different organic certifiers, we can help you choose the materials review agency that works best for your company, based on your type of operation, your location and how much of a hurry you are in.
Preparing your application. Once you’ve decided on a particular materials review agency, be it OMRI, WSDA, CDFA or even Cofepris in Mexico, the first step in the process involves completing the application. Depending on the material seeking review, this may entail having your product tested for a number of parameters by an independent laboratory. You’ll also have to submit detailed flow diagrams of your manufacturing process, proof of purchase for ingredients and product labels. We can help you prepare these documents and submit a tidy application to the review agency of your choice. We can also help you respond to any questions they may have once they receive it.
Providing training to you or your team. Certification of your inputs can be confusing, especially when you come to realize that you’re not getting “organic” certification at all, but simply the approval of a private material review organization, stating that your product is compliant with one or more organic regulations, for use in a very specific way. We get that. We’ve been working with the US organic regulation, both as inspectors and reviewers, since it came out in 2001. We can help you and your employees understand not just what you need to do, but why and what the materials review agency is seeking to confirm. We can provide training in person, or via webinar, tailored to your particular operation. By law your certifier cannot help you overcome the barriers to organic certification, but we can, and it’s what we love to do!
High Nitrogen liquid fertilizer? The USDA requires that the manufacturer of any high nitrogen (above 3%) liquid fertilizer product approved for use under the NOP must be subjected an annual inspection, including an audit of nitrogen bearing materials going into and out of the production plant. We can help you prepare for this inspection and audit. Depending on your needs, we can even attend the inspection to help explain your system to the inspector.
What about Canada and Mexico? We are very familiar with both the Canadian and Mexico regulation (Ley de Productos Orgánicos). If you hope to sell organic inputs into Canada we can help you apply to OMRI for Canadian approval. We can even help you apply for review of your product by Cofepris, the Mexican government agency that approve most input materials sold in Mexico.
Help formulating products. When it’s time to add new products or modify your conventional products for use in organic production, we can help you formulate or reformulate products that comply with one or more organic regulations.
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