USDA
The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) today recognized the work of ten organic certifiers with our annual "Data Quality Awards." Organic data reporting advances both market development and robust enforcement. These awards celebrate certifiers who exceeded requirements for delivering high quality data to the Organic Integrity Database in 2020.
The awards were presented virtually before more than 600 inspectors and certifiers from around the world who participated at the annual NOP Certifier Training.
“Certifiers play a critical role in organic oversight and enforcement,” said Jennifer Tucker, who heads the NOP. “Quality, timely data deters fraud by making it faster for investigators to identify high risk activities and focus additional enforcement resources to protect the organic market.”
Up-to-date public information about organic operations also helps buyers and sellers find each other in the marketplace, making data an important market development tool. The database lists certified products for each farm and business, providing a resource for other companies looking for certified organic ingredients or needing to bolster their supplies.
The fourth annual Investing in Integrity Data Quality Award winners are (listed alphabetically):
- CCOF Certification Services, LLC (CCOF) - Santa Cruz, Calif.
- Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) - Broomfield, Colo.
- Global Organic Alliance (GOA) - Bellefontaine, Ohio
- IMOcert Latinoamerica LTDA (IMOcert) - Cochabamba, Bolivia
- Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) - Des Moines, Iowa
- Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (MOCA) - Novato, Calif.
- NOFA-NY Certified Organic (NOFANY) - Binghamton, N.Y.
- Primus Auditing Operations (PAO) - Santa Maria, Calif.
- Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) - Salt Lake City, Utah
- Yolo County Department of Agriculture (YDA) - Woodland, Calif.
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