An Inspector’s Perspective:
Processing
Best Practices for Organic Food Processors
By Lori Wyman

Is Your Company
an Organic
Processing Role
Model?
Submit Your Best
Practices.
“Best Practices for Organic
Food Processors” is going to
be a repeat feature in our Pro-
cessing column. If your com-
pany has a best practice you
would like to share and show-
case in Organic Processing
Magazine, or if you are an in-
spector who would con-
tribute your insights and
experiences, please contact
OP’s editor, Kat Schuett, at
kat@organicprocessing.com.

In organic certification, it’s all about the process. In other words, rather than testing the final product to measure certain properties, organic standards instead carefully verify each and every step—from production and processing to labeling—taken to create each product.

This means that organic companies often need to adapt equipment to meet the certification standards for organic processing. They must also draw from a list of approved cleaning substances that can come in contact with the food. For example, residues from quaternary ammonia sanitizer are permitted to come in contact with conventional foods— but not with organic—so organic inspectors use test strips to check for its presence. Organic companies must also utilize preventative, nontoxic pest controls such as traps and lures rather than routinely spraying pesticides or rodenticides.

Organic inspectors encounter a variety of ways in which food processors go about complying with the standards, often involving innovative and creative methods. These producers should be commended for their enthusiasm and financial investment in developing systems that do the job. These innovations may include computer systems for tracking organic lot codes, specially designed storage and handling containers to prevent commingling and NOP-approved sanitation systems for food safety. Below are some excellent examples from a variety of businesses that were willing to share their methods with Organic Processing Magazine’s readers.

Commingling and Contamination

Contamination is a term that organic inspectors use when an organic product comes

in contact with a prohibited substance that may be allowed in conventional foods. By keeping the organic ingredients separated by packaging, barriers or distance, the organic ingredients are less likely become contaminated. The term “commingling” is used when these practices are not adhered to and organic products or ingredients come in contact with conventional ingredients, which could compromise their organic integrity.

Manufacturers that are producing both organic and non-organic items in the same facility are required to take steps to prevent commingling and contamination.

The George Howell Coffee Company, an artisan coffee roaster based in Acton, Massachusetts that focuses single estate and micro-lot coffees, is an example of a facility that is an inspector’s delight. Most coffee roasters store raw beans in big jute bags that are often left open, exposed to air and airborne contaminants. George Howell, however, instead works directly with its small producers to ensure that organic green coffee beans are put into vacuum-sealed bags directly after harvest.

This is not only an easy way prevent contamination and commingling, it also ensures that the beans stay fresh, said Jerry O’Hare, sales and customer service manager. “Either packed at origin or repacked at the warehouse upon arrival, moving coffee out of the industry-standard jute bags not only benefits the freshness of the coffee, but helps main-