The National Organic Program (NOP) is established under the direction of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), an arm of the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ).
The NOP establishes national standards for the production and handling of organically produced products, including a National List of substances approved for and prohibited from use in organic production and handling. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents (foreign and domestic) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards.
| Sub-Category |
Regional/National
|
| Standard for |
organic agriculture products
|
| Focus |
Production and processing of agricultural products that provide assurance of adherence to organic standards.
|
| Structure |
|
| Conformity Requirements |
includes regulations on applicability; organic production and handling requirements; labels, labeling and market information; certification; accreditation of certifying agents; administrative (list of allowed and prohibited substances, fees, compliance, inspections etc)
|
| Auditing System |
USDA -accredited certifying inspectors
|
| Geographic Focus |
USA
|
| Website |
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop
|