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be as simple as a handshake. According to the ERS data, 27 percent of all organic deals are done this good old fashioned way. However, the organic market is trending towards the very detailed vendor assurance programs used by many of the world’s top food companies. These programs not only require the basic information on the ingredient being sourced, but very extensive details on how the product has been handled, with emphasis on quality assurance issues. Processors want to make sure that sup-

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pliers have the same level of quality control standards as their plants, since they do not want ingredients coming into their company that could possibly contaminate their facility. Some quality assurance issues to look at adding in your contract could include production, post-harvest or processing steps that decrease chances of micro contamination or cross contamination from conventional ingredients or allergens. This type of contract is often referred to as the “audit book,” since so much data is required prior to the final ingredient purchase. These

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programs are designed for the conventional market, but in most cases are applicable to the organic market. Your contract can be as detailed or as simple as you want. However, since the total pool of organic ingredients is much smaller, going by the book will not always be possible and you may have to make certain accommodations. Companies that want to make organic replicas of their existing conventional product line sometimes find that sourcing organic ingredients that are functionally the same as conventional can be daunting. Minimally processed organic ingredients are not always as standardized as conventional versions, which can use synthetic processing aids to ensure certain functional aspects.

Contracting Globally

As with conventional, the search for organic ingredients is worldwide. The ERS survey tells us that 35 percent of manufacturers’ ingredients come from international suppliers. Once again, when working with suppliers from different areas of the world it’s challenging to have a completely standardized ingredient. In the northern and southern hemispheres, varieties are different and there are often subtle differences in the ingredients from region to region, so again, you must adapt. To make the differences less noticeable and therefore more standardized, some manufacturers take all varieties of a specific ingredient, which have been sourced from different areas of the world, and combine them into one “melting pot” ingredient.

In addition to contracting for organic ingredients that meet a processor’s product specifications, the contract should also ensure that the ingredient is certified to meet the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) so that it can be imported into the United States and used in USDA certified organic products.