Organic Certifications Surge as New SOE Rule Enacted

Organic Produce Network Produce April 18, 2024

On March 19, 2024, the National Organic Program’s (NOP) new Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule was implemented after a 14-month educational effort, and the results have been very positive, according to the NOP’s Dr. Jennifer Tucker.

Tucker, who is deputy administrator of USDA NOP, told OPN Connect on April 5 that she is “very pleased” with the level of compliance. She noted that in the first three months of 2024, NOP processed 755 new handler certifications compared to 207 in the same time frame in 2023. “That tells us a lot of folks are getting the message,” she said. “To go from about 200 to 750 in year-over-year growth tells us we are in the stage of acceptance.”

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