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Organic fraud continues to be a problem

The head of an advisory firm specializing in the organic, non-GMO and specialty crop supply chain says more can be done to limit organic fraud.

Agromeris president Peter Golbitz describes domestic certification as thorough and very effective, but says fraudulent labeling continues to be a problem with organic imports.

“There are areas within the chain of custody where some of the handlers do not need to be certified.  The exclusion for them is that if they don’t open a container, or the product they’re moving is packaged, they themselves don’t need to be certified.”

He tells Brownfield U.S. food companies that import organic products need to have a firmer grasp on the production capabilities of countries they purchase from.

“There’s no ability to check what you’re shipping and what your neighboring shippers are bringing in without understanding how much production there was in that country.  So there is a mass balance that’s needed, and that would go a long way towards eliminating fraud.”

He also recommends sending staff overseas to walk fields and get familiar with the production methods of exporting countries.

“The same way they would if it was domestic in order to really make sure that supply chain is solid.”

Golbitz will be presenting at the Organic and Non-GMO Forum in St. Louis November 7^th.