If you produce, process, import, export or sell organic food, an approved UK organic control body must certify your food and business. Contact your control body for advice on organic procedures.
Your control body can inspect your business at any time. You might not get notice of the visit.
You can also report organic food you suspect does not meet organic standards for a control body to inspect.
Getting inspected
Your control body will inspect your business at least once a year. You may get further inspections randomly or if your control body thinks your premises may be a risk.
Provide samples for testing
Your control body might need to take samples if it inspects your business. You, or someone you authorise, must be present when your control body does this.
They will send the samples to an accredited laboratory for the test necessary on your particular samples.
Detailed inspections for livestock
If you keep livestock for organic meat or dairy products, you might need more detailed assessments. Your control body might test your livestock, meat and feed for:
If tests show that your food might not meet organic standards
If test results show that your organic food might not meet organic standards, your control body will investigate.
During an investigation, they will complete a risk assessment. If the risk is high, your control body will usually stop you selling affected food as organic while they continue to investigate. They might also need to:
The investigation will decide if:
If your organic food contains traces of pesticides
If your control body finds:
The safe limit for consumers is known as the maximum residue level (MRL). Each pesticide has a different MRL. Find out the MRL for a pesticide.
If your control body reports you to the CRD, they will investigate you. Your control body will carry out any follow-up action on behalf of the CRD.
Contamination outside your control
In most cases, your control body will let you keep labelling your food as organic if both:
However, meeting this criteria does not guarantee you can continue to market affected food as organic. Your control body will also consider other factors in their decision.
Appeal against test results
If you disagree with any test results, you must tell your control body within 2 working days.
You can:
Not all labs are accredited for all organic testing.
You’ll have to pay for a second test if the results are similar to the first test.
If your food does not meet organic standards
You must stop labelling some or all of your food as organic if you:
You may need to recall your food from anywhere it’s on sale or held in storage.
Your control body will tell you if you must relabel or recall your food.
Your control body will work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Defra will decide if you can start labelling your food as organic again and when.
You cannot label your food as organic until your control body tells you in writing. If you start organic labelling without permission, trading standards will usually take enforcement action. You may be prosecuted.
Report food suspected or known to be non-organic
If you suspect that food labelled as organic does not meet organic standards, you must report it to a control body. It will investigate.
Report your own organic food
You must tell your control body if you believe:
You must:
You might be able to label your food as organic again if the control body is satisfied with the test results.
Report someone else’s organic food
You must contact your control body to report any:
Your control body will tell you what steps to take. They might contact the organisation that certified the organic food to arrange a test or investigation. They will tell you the results if it affects your business.
This content was originally published here.
