Course: WVA 104 Sauces, Condiments & Dressings

Reading

(2/2)
Organic Food Processing Basics and USDA Oversight of Organic Products

In this section of the reading assignment, students will read about the basic requirements needed to produce an organic bulk food product. Information presented here by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture presents a basic overview of the rules, regulations, and guidelines needed for organic food processing. The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) oversees the national organic rule that went into effect in 2002. The NOP establishes consistent national standards for organic production, facilitates interstate and international commerce, and assures that organic food meets a consistent standard while protecting consumers from fraudulent organic claims. In order for a manufactured food product to be labeled organic, all the ingredients must be grown and the product manufactured according to the national standards specified by the NOP. “Handling” includes cooking, baking, curing, heating, drying, mixing, grinding, churning, separating, distilling, extracting, slaughtering, cutting, fermenting, eviscerating, preserving, dehydrating, freezing, hilling, or otherwise manufacturing, packaging, canning, jarring, or otherwise enclosing food in a container. If you do any of these things, you’re a handler. Both the ingredients and the facility where the food is processed must be certified organic. This means that buildings where ingredients are stored, equipment, product packaging, and storage areas used for final products must all meet the NOP requirements.  In the second article, USDA Oversight of Organic Products, student’s are asked to read and review USDA organic regulations as they apply to four categories of organic production, crops, livestock, processed/multi-ingredient products, and wild crops. These standards are designed to cover the product’s lifecycle from production to processing and handling. In reading these materials, students are asked to consider their individual product development needs regarding the final project.

Click here to access the article Organic Food Processing Basics from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website.

Click here to access the article USDA Oversight of Organic Products from the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.