Confidence Grows: USDA NOP visits China

USDA National Organic Program recently published a report of its on-site assessment of four USDA-Accreditation certification bodies and meeting with officials from the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA) in November 2010.  The favorable report described assessments of the activities of four  European-based and NOP accredited certification bodies operating in China, namely EcoCert S.A., BCS Öeko Garantie GMBH, Institue for Marketecology (IMO) and Certification of Environmental Standards (CERES). NOP auditors visited China branch offices of the four certifying agents and reviewed their certification oversight and compliance activities. Witness inspections of certified operations were conducted in the provinces of Fujian, Hunan, and Shandong, where the following agricultural products are either produced or handled (e.g., exported, processed): Spirulina (algae), tea, individually quick frozen vegetables, peanuts, soybeans, strawberries, and other fruits and vegetables. Several sample products were collected, shipped, and subsequently tested for pesticide residues at the laboratory of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Field Laboratory Services in Gastonia, North Carolina. NOP auditors also collected information regarding the regulatory and research system of China’s growing organic industry.  The report states that the auditors found “a well‐educated and dedicated certifying agent staff managing an organic certification system in a dynamic and complex environment. NOP auditors noted that accredited certifying agents were competent, professional, and committed to protecting organic integrity. Favorable auditor observations included certifying agents’ implementation of multiple and frequent announced and unannounced inspections, robust pesticide residue sampling programs, competent inspectors, knowledge of multiple organic standards, and the organizational depth of support and assistance available from certifying agent offices in Europe.  Shortcomings on the part of certifying agents included, in some instances, approval of incomplete Organic System Plans and inspection reports and insufficient label review procedures. In these instances the NOP issued notices of noncompliance and required that certifying agents demonstrate corrective actions to avoid undergoing proposed suspensions.

While in Beijing, NOP auditors met with government representatives from the China National Accreditation Administration (CNCA) , which is charged with the responsibility of developing, promulgating, and implementing state laws, regulations, and rules concerning certification and accreditation, including organic accreditation.  At the conclusion of the meeting, both the U.S. and Chinese parties welcomed the initiation of technical talks and visits regarding each country’s organic standards.

is available from the NOP Newsroom (July 2011) on the NOP website, www.ams.usda.gov/nop.

Below: EcoCert crop witness inspection  Shandong Province