DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR THE PRODUCTION, PROCESSING, LABELLING AND MARKETING OF ORGANICALLY PRODUCED FOODS (AT STEP 7 OF THE PROCEDURE)

2.1 Description

Food described using the term organic or words of similar intent, are the product of an organic farming system employing management practices that seeks Food should only refer to organic production methods if they come from an organic farm system employing management practices which seek to nurture ecosystems which achieve sustainable productivity, and provide weed, pest and disease control through a diverse mix of mutually dependent life forms, recycling plant and animal residues, crop selection and rotation, water management, tillage and cultivation. Soil fertility is maintained and enhanced by a system which optimises soil biological activity and the physical and mineral nature of the soil as the means to provide a balanced nutrient supply for plant and animal life as well as to conserve soil resources. Production should be sustainable with the recycling of plant nutrients as an essential part of the fertilizing strategy. Pest and disease management is attained by means of the encouragement of a balanced host/predator relationship, augmentation of beneficial insect populations, biological and cultural control and mechanical removal of pests and affected plant parts.

2.2 Definitions

For the purpose of these guidelines:

accreditation means the recognition by the authority or its delegated agent, that an inspection and/or certification body is complying with the requirememts as set down in paragraphs 6.5 and 6.6 of these guidelines.

official accreditation is the procedure by which a government agency having jurisdiction formally recognises the competence of an inspection and/or certification body to provide inspection and certification services. For organic production the competent authority may delegate the accreditation function to a private body.

agricultural product/product of agricultural origin means any product or commodity, raw or processed, that is marketed for human consumption (excluding water, and salt and additives) or animal feed

audit is a systematic and functionally independent examination to determine whether activities and related results comply with planned objectives².

certification is the procedure by which official certification bodies, or officially recognised certification bodies, provide written or equivalent assurance that foods or food control systems conform to requirements. Certification of food may be, as appropriate, based on a range of inspection activities which may include continuous on-line inspection, auditing of quality assurance systems and examination of finished products.³

ingredient means any substance, including a food additive, used in the manufacture or preparation of a food and present in the final product although possibly in a modified form⁵.

inspection is the examination of food or systems for control of food, raw materials, processing, and distribution including in-process and finished product testing in order to verify that they conform to requirements⁶. For organic food, inspection includes the examination of the production and processing system.

inspection certification body means a body which is responsible for verifying that a product sold or labelled as "organic" is produced, processed, prepared handled, and imported according to these guidelines. This procedure may also be carried out by a certification body.

labelling means any written, printed or graphic matter that is present on the label, accompanies the food, or is displayed near the food, including that for the purpose of promoting its sale or disposal⁷.

marketing means holding for sale or displaying for sale, offering for sale, selling, delivering or placing on the market in any other form.

officially recognized inspection systems/officially recognized certification systems are systems which have been formally approved or recognized by a government agency having jurisdiction⁸.

operator means any person who produces, prepares or imports, with a view to the subsequent marketing thereof, products as referred to in Section 1.1, or who markets such products.

plant protection product means any substance intended for preventing, destroying, attracting, repelling, or controlling any pest or disease including unwanted species of plants or animals during the production, storage, transport, distribution and processing of food, agricultural commodities, or animal feeds.

preparation means the operations of slaughtering, processing, preserving and packaging of agricultural products [and also alterations made to the labelling concerning the presentation of the organic production method.]

production means the operations undertaken to supply agricultural products in the state in which they occur on the farm, including initial packaging and labelling of the product.

² CAC/GL 20-1995

³ CAC/GL 20-1995

⁴ In the absence of a definition of genetically engineered organisms agreed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, this definition has been developed in order to provide initial guidance for governments in the application of these guidelines. This definition is therefore to remain under review in the light of other considerations by the Commission and its Committees. In the interim, member countries may also apply national definitions.

⁵ Codex Alimentarius Volume 1A - General Requirements, Section 4 - Labelling of repackaged Foods (Stan 1-1985 Rev 1-1991)

⁶ CAC/GL 20-1995