The Organic Consulting Firm
The Organic Consulting Firm
 

Organic Consulting Services

 
HomeOrganic Consulting Services

Our organic services are tailored to meet the needs of:

  • Crop Producers
  • Processors
  • Livestock Producers
  • Brokers
  • Personal Care & Cosmetic Manufacturers
  • Fertilizer and Crop Input Registrations

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New to Organic

Let The Organic Consulting Firm take the confusion and anxiety from your shoulders. Our basic organic consulting package will thoroughly Evaluate your current operation through onsite visits and phone consultations. We will Develop a complete Organic System Plan that brings your operation into organic compliance with the least disruption to your current practices. During the evaluation and development phases our organic consultants will Train your organic contact on the USDA National Organic Program regulations as they affect your operation.

  • Gap Assessment – onsite evaluation of the gaps between your current practices and organic compliance
  • Develop Organic System Plan
  • Prepare and submit application
  • New product formula and label reviews
  • Review existing procedures and update to include organic compliance
  • Create control systems to document compliance
  • Design individualized forms
  • Train management team and employees to Organic requirements
  • Respond to certifier correspondence
Contact us for more information

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Existing organic

The Organic Consulting Firm offers certified organic companies a variety of services that help them maintain their organic compliance and quickly move new organic products through the certification process.  The Organic Systems Plan is a living document that can and should be updated on a regular basis to ensure ongoing compliance.   Our organic consultants will help you analyze process changes and communicate those changes to your accredited certification agency.

  • Monitor as required by the specified standards
  • Assess Organic System Plan for continued accuracy and implementation
  • Review existing formulas and ingredient verification
  • Update Organic System Plan and forms on an on-going basis
  • Perform internal third-party audit with written report
  • Provide employee training
  • Attend the annual organic inspection
  • Respond to certifier correspondence
  • Notification of regulatory updates
  • Provide Phone support

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Adverse actions

From time to time organic companies will find themselves in conflict with their organic certifier or the USDA NOP.  These conflicts if not adequately addressed can lead to Adverse Actions.  Adverse Actions are time sensitive with hard deadlines.  Adverse Actions affect a company’s ability to sell products as organic.  A certified operation has the right to request mediation or appeal the adverse action.

Examples of adverse actions that may request mediation or appeal include: proposed suspension of certification, proposed revocation of certification, denial of certification, combined notice of noncompliance and proposed suspension or revocation, cease and desist notice, denial of reinstatement.

The Organic Consulting Firm will mediate between the certifier, state organic program, and/or USDA and help you through the entire process from noncompliance response, appeal, mediation, and reinstatement. Our organic consultants will respond to your certifier in a manner that shows compliance can be achieved and maintained. Our organic consultants will attend the mediation as your advocate and help you negotiate terms to maintain your organic certification. We will help prepare all information required for re-instatement of organic certification and work with the certifier and the USDA through the entire re-instatement process. When needed, The Organic Consulting Firm works with several qualified attorneys that specialize in organic adverse action appeals.

We can help with:

  • Non-compliance
  • Appeals
  • Mediation
  • Suspension
  • Revocation
  • Re-instatement
  • Preparation for Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearings

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Organic Input Material Verification

The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances identifies substances that may or may not be used in organic crop production, livestock production, and handling. All non-organic materials used in organic production and handling must be approved prior to use in organic.  The certifier is responsible for determining if an input material meets the requirements of the National Organic Program.  Additionally, there are three organizations that review products and publish lists of products allowed for organic production: Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Organic Food Program, and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Organic Input Material Program. These organizations obtain information about all the inert and active ingredients in a product formulation, review them, and assess whether the product is allowed.

Our organic consultants will:

  • Help your company gather and organize the information needed to submit the organic input materials for OMRI, CDFA, & WSDA Registration.
  • Work directly with your company and your vendors to obtain the information required for material registration, review all labels for organic compliance and prepare and submit the application(s).

 

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Fertilizer Registration

The OCF offers state by state fertilizer registration services and tonnage reporting for both organic and conventional products.   Each state varies in its reporting requirements and time lines.  The OCF will keep track of the numerous deadlines and compile and submit all necessary documentation on your behalf.

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Internal Audits for Accredited Certification Agencies

Under the NOP all certifiers must perform internal audits.  Our organic consultants are experienced in performing internal audits of certifiers utilizing the National Organic Program’s Audit Checklist.  Internal Audits help prepare for NOP onsite audits as well as meeting the requirements for annual internal auditing of your Quality Manual, Procedures, Employees and Contractors.

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Private Standards

The Organic Consulting Firm helps clients with a variety of private standards.  We help with the Non-GMO Project, Gluten Free, NSF ANSI 305.