On May 17, the USDA launched its new GLOBAL Organic Integrity Database or ‘GLOBAL OID.’ The new GLOBAL OID is a clone of the current Organic Integrity Database, but includes operations certified to both the Canadian Organic Regime (COR) standards and USDA standards by accredited certifying agents. GLOBAL OID is part of the Trade Partners module the USDA intends to roll-out by fall of 2023 in preparation for the full implementation of the new Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) regulations that come into effect on March 19, 2024. On that date, all organic products imported into the United States must be accompanied by an NOP Import Certificate issued by a USDA accredited certifying agency or a certifying agency accredited to certify to an equivalent standard.
Right now, NOP Import Certificates must accompany organic imports from the EU, Japan, India, and Taiwan, but the SOE regulations expand the requirement for NOP Import Certificates to all imports from any country. The next component of GLOBAL OID will be the Electronic Organic Import Certificate module. Organic certifying agents around the world who certify organic products to the USDA regulations or regulations deemed equivalent to the USDA regulations will be able to issue electronic import certificates through GLOBAL OID.
The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) will prepare users for the updated GLOBAL OID by providing user guides and hosting user registration sessions as the launch date approaches. Since 2015, when the NOP launched the OID, USDA-accredited certifiers have used the database to report mandatory information on farms and businesses certified to the USDA organic standards. Similarly, the Trade Partner Module under development will allow international certifiers to report on farms and businesses certified under organic equivalency arrangements. The GLOBAL OID should increases access and transparency to quality data in organic supply chains worldwide, increasing certifiers’ ability to protect the integrity of organic products sold in the United States
On June 8, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) will offer the first of in a series of member-exclusive trainings on how to access and use the OID to find suppliers and vet their organic status. OTA members can register for the training here. OTA will be hosting a Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) Education Series through the remainder of 2023 to help prepare businesses for the SOE compliance deadline of March 19, 2024.
Stay tuned to OneCert’s blog for further information on trainings OneCert will make available to all its certified operations on the GLOBAL OID and the new Strengthening Organic Enforcement regulations as the USDA makes new information available.
Access the USDA’s Factsheet on the SOE regulations here.