September/October 2024 - 26

ORGANIC GROWER
The shopper needs to be able to trust
what they're purchasing. "
Shipping considerations
Organic products shipped in
containers are now required to
include organic identification, a
lot code or lot system connecting
non-retail containers to audit trail
documentation.
" That was one of the big
challenges for a lot of growers
and distributors to figure out, "
Wyard said. " But, they're figuring
it out. We're pleased to see that
the National Organic Program and
their work with all the certifiers
that everybody's really taking a very
sound and sensible approach to this,
giving operations the opportunity to
come up with their own solutions.
It's not a one-size-fits-all rule, giving
the space for operations to figure out
what they need to do that works best
for them that will comply with the
requirements.
" The whole point is to get as many
people in the supply chain certified.
And there's a liability if you're not
certified, " she said. " The program
and the certifiers have been doing
a good job working together and
understanding that this regulation is
here to help, not to hurt. The last thing
we want is to overburden the growers. "
Growers are required to possess
organic systems and organic fraud
prevention plans, which can be
challenging because they're new and
unfamiliar to many. Certifiers must
update forms to include questions
around the new rules. Growers are
receiving the new forms and are
working through the requirements,
Wyard said.
New mandatory
requirements
Many of the new mandatory
requirements are standard grower
best practices made mandatory,
including unannounced inspections
and traceability and Mass Balance
(In/Out) Audits, where operations
demonstrate how the amount of
product used or sold corresponds
to the amount of product produced
or bought.
" Everybody needs to continue to
over communicate and continue to
share the information about getting
certified because you don't want to
have an unexpected disruption in the
supply chain down the road, because
somebody finds out at the last
minute that they didn't realize they
needed to be certified, " Wyand said.
" The focus for this first year is to get
everybody in right, get everybody
certified, and then we'll continue to
move along and find if there's other
pain points, or where the hiccups
might be. "
The act's organic integrity
aspects can help prevent growers
questioning the authenticity of the
organic inputs they purchase, as
happened with fertilizer fraud in
2007. The California Department
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8/9/24 1:54 PM
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September/October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2024
