Certification: USDA - Organic

Parent Organization: United States Department of Agriculture

Internal Program: Certified Organic - USDA 

The National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents (foreign and domestic) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards. 

The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) and the National Organic Program (NOP) assure consumers that the organic agricultural products they purchase are produced, processed, and certified to consistent national organic standards. The labeling requirements of the NOP apply to raw, fresh products and processed products that contain organic agricultural ingredients. Agricultural products that are sold, labeled, or represented as organic must be produced and processed in accordance with the NOP standards. 

Certification: Quality Assurance International (QAI) - Certified Organic

Parent Organization: Quality Assurance International

Internal Program: Organic Certification

You will see this organic certification on many Organic products that are internationally produced.

The QAI Certification Program is designed to certify every step of the organic chain: From the land on which the product is grown; to the producers growing the product; to the post-harvest facilities preparing the product; to the processing and handling facilities transforming the product. 

Since 1989, QAI's diligence, at every link in the organic production chain, continues to provide assurance that the actual product destined to enter into market distribution is indeed organic. 

Certification: Fair Trade Certified

Parent Organization: TransFair USA

Internal Program: Fair Trade 

TransFair USA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is one of twenty members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), and the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. TransFair USA audits transactions between US companies offering Fair Trade Certified™ products and the international suppliers from whom they source, in order to guarantee that the farmers and farm workers behind Fair Trade Certified goods were paid a fair, above-market price. In addition, annual inspections conducted by FLO ensure that strict socioeconomic development criteria are being met using increased Fair Trade revenues. 

You will often see Fair Trade logos on coffee. Here’s a little background:

In the past six years, TransFair certifies 74.2 million pounds of Fair Trade coffee. This has provided coffee farmers in some of the poorest communities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia with over $60 million more than they would have earned selling their harvests to local intermediaries. This means that each dollar of TransFair USA's budgets has been translated into more than $7 in supplemental income for farmers and farm workers since 1999. And Fair Trade in the US is no longer just about coffee: TransFair has also introduced Fair Trade Certified tea, cocoa, fresh fruit, and, most recently, rice and sugar to the US market. 

More of each dollar spent on any of these products goes back to the farmers and farm workers who produce them. The US Fair Trade market has thus empowered farmers and farm workers around the world to determine their most pressing local economic development needs for themselves, and reinvest in their products, cooperatives, and communities in appropriate and sustainable ways. 

Certification: Marine Stewardship Council

Parent Organization: Marine Stewardship Council

Internal Program: Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) 

With experts the Marine Stewardship Council developed standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability. They ensure that MSC-labelled seafood comes from, and can be traced back to, a sustainable fishery. The MSC meets the highest benchmarks for credible certification and ecolabelling programs, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization guidelines and the ISEAL Code of Good Practice.

Certified Humane Raised and Handled®

Parent Organization: Humane Farm Animal Care

Internal Program: Certified Humane Raised and Handled® 

Humane Farm Animal Care, a national non-profit 501(c)3, was created to improve the lives of farm animals by certifying their humane treatment. The Certified Humane Raised and Handled® program is a certification and labeling program and the only animal welfare label requiring the humane treatment of farm animals from birth through slaughter.  The goal of the program is to improve the lives of farm animals by driving consumer demand for kinder and more responsible farm animal practices.  

The label insures that the producer meets Humane Farm Animal Care standards, applied to animals from birth through slaughter. Animals must have ample space, shelter and gentle handling to limit stress. Animals must have ample fresh water and a healthy diet of quality feed, without added antibiotics or hormones. Cages, crates and tie stalls are forbidden.  

Producers must comply with food safety and environmental regulations. Processors must comply with the American Meat Institute Standards (AMI), a higher standard for slaughtering farm animals than the federal Humane Slaughter Act.  

The standards are upheld through annual inspections conducted by scientists and veterinarians who are experts on the species they inspect. Independent inspections of all farms, ranches and slaughter facilities are required. 

Certification: Rainforest Alliance Certified™

Parent Organization: Rainforest Alliance

Internal Program: Rainforest Alliance Certified™ 

The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. 

Based in New York City, with offices throughout the United States and worldwide, the Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers. From large multinational corporations to small, community-based cooperatives, businesses and consumers worldwide are involved in Rainforest Alliance’s efforts to bring responsibly produced goods and services to a global marketplace where the demand for sustainability is growing steadily. 

Rainforest Alliance sets standards for sustainability that conserve wildlife and wildlands and promote the well-being of workers and their communities. Farms and forestry enterprises that meet the criteria receive the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal. Rainforest Alliance also works with tourism businesses, to help them succeed while leaving a small footprint on the environment and providing a boost to local economies. 
 

Certification: Food Alliance Certification

Parent Organization: Food Alliance

Internal Program: Food Alliance Certification 

Food Alliance is a nonprofit organization that certifies farms, ranches, food packers and handlers, processors, and distributers for sustainable agricultural and business practices in North America. 

By choosing Food Alliance-certified products, consumers and commercial food buyers can be assured they are supporting environmental stewardship, safe and fair working conditions, and humane treatment of animals. 

Food Alliance Certified businesses are audited by an independent  third-party inspector to determine whether they meet program standards and criteria.

Certification: Seafood Watch®

Parent Organization: Monterey Bay Aquarium

Internal Program: Seafood Watch® 

Seafood Watch is a program of Monterey Bay Aquarium designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources. The Seafood Watch guides recommend which seafood to buy or avoid, helping consumers to become advocates for environmentally friendly seafood. Seafood Watch is also partners of the Seafood Choices Alliance where, along with other seafood awareness campaigns, it provides seafood purveyors with recommendations on seafood choices. 

The Seafood Watch guides reflect what is sold in the regional market. To create each regional guide, they establish partnerships with regional zoos and aquariums. Seafood Watch staff does most of the research, collecting government reports, journal articles, and making personal contact with fishery and fish farm experts to create a Seafood Report. After a thorough review process, the information is run through criteria for sustainability and a recommendation is developed. 

Seafood Watch staff researches and evaluates each seafood item on their pocket guides. They work with fishery or aquaculture experts to gather pertinent information. The research reports undergo a peer review process overseen by the research manager. Each pocket guide is updated twice a year.