SERVICES
Where Food Comes From Organic has been certifying to the USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project, Gluten-Free, Upcycled Certified, and various food safety programs for many years. When clients come to us, we provide guidance and insight by understanding and listening to their needs and then customizing a certification plan to achieve their goals. At the same time, we are able to bundle services by utilizing technology enabled platforms and streamlining each process.
Agriculture Crops
Farms producing agriculture crops, wild harvested crops, hydroponic crops, or pastures used for grazing animals can all be certified Organic. These crops can include, but are not limited to: hemp, hay, row crops, produce, transplants, sprouts, micro greens, cut flowers and more.
Processor & Handlers
Organic certification for processors and handlers of organic foods includes feed mills, on-farm processors, contract feed mills, co-packers, packers, brokers, wholesalers and distributors of organic food products. If you handle a product in permeable form, then you are considered a handler and if you process that product and re-package it, you are then considered both a processor and a handler.
Livestock
Certification for livestock includes ruminants, poultry and finished products like meat, eggs and milk. This can also include livestock such as snails. Yes, we also certify snails!
Wild Crops
Wild crops are defined as crops that are grown but not maintained under cultivation or agricultural management. To consider a crop wild it needs to be maintained by its natural environment or ecosystem. For example, wild crops should not be fed and but will need to be watered by rain rather than irrigation systems. Wild crop harvesting must ensure that the process of harvesting will sustain the growth and production of the wild crop and will not be degrading to the environment.
Hemp-derived CBD
Where Food Comes From Organic is excited to share with you the news that the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 - aka the 2018 Farm Bill - recently legalized hemp and hemp derivatives with <0.3% dry weight THC content.
WFCF Organic is only authorized to verify compliance with USDA organic standards when we verify a product that contains hemp-derived CBD. Products may also be subject to other regulations or requirements. You must verify that your products are legal before you submit them to WFCF Organic. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer or seller to ensure that products meet all applicable FD&C, FDA, state, or local regulations and requirements.
USDA National Organic Program
WFCF Organic provides certification services for operations that produce crops and livestock, or make organic products. Each certification category allows clients to choose their certification needs based on the type of product they wish to certify.
Additionally, a client may choose multiple categories that may be applicable to their operation type. For example, if you are producing your own milk, bulk or retail, and growing the grain that feeds the cows, you will be classified as a handler operation for the milk and a grower operation for the grain used to feed the cows. Our team of certification specialists will help you identify your categories through our technology platform called SOW Organic.
Regenerative Organic Certified
USDA NOP organic certification is the foundation of ROC™, so applicants must be in pursuit or have achieved organic certification with WFCF Organic as a baseline to begin the ROC™ certification process. The Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) acts as the Oversight and Scheme Management Body for the program.
WFCF Plant-Based
The Where Food Comes From (WFCF) Plant-Based Certification Standard has been created to provide specific parameters for brands to label products in the market as Plant-Based.
This Standard sets guidelines and requirements for what kinds of claims, ingredients and handling processes are allowed within the Certification, including during the testing, processing, or production of a product aiming to be certified as Plant-Based.
Upcycled Certified
The Upcycled Certification Standard, now officially part of the WFCF family of standards, is designed to reduce food waste by promoting the upcycled food economy. Upcycled products use ingredients that have full nutritional value and are safe but for various reasons would have gone to waste. Operators that grow, produce, manufacture, process, and trade in food, beverages and other food-related products are eligible to apply for the Upcycled Certified certification program. These operators must demonstrate that ingredients they handle have been procured and produced using verifiable supply chains.
Find Upcycled Certified Products.
Download the Upcycled Certified Standard.
Download the Upcycled Licensing Fee Structure.
View the Frequently Asked Questions.
The Paleo Diet
The Paleo Diet® certification program is based on the science of Dr. Loren Cordain, who founded the modern Paleolithic nutrition movement, and is based on the organization’s mission: to promote science-based healthy nutrition and make better nutrition more accessible to health-conscious consumers. The Paleo Diet has translated the evidence-based, peer-reviewed science of Paleolithic eating into a modern food certification process that is now available to food manufacturers, retailers, and other partners.
Learn more about the Paleo Diet® Certification Programs
Understanding the Certification Process
Fee Schedule for the Paleo Diet® Certification Programs
Cost Estimate Inquiry Form for the Paleo Diet® Certification Programs
Transitional Certification
Transitional certification is for clients who would like to transition from conventional agricultural land to organic land (or packaged good products using transitional ingredients). If your farm has used a product on our "prohibited" list in the last three years, then the Transitional certification is your first step to achieving organic certification. Many of our clients apply for Transitional certification and are eligible for crop insurance programs by FSIS.
Transitional Certification
Bundling Non-GMO Project and Organic
Many of our clients have said they benefit from becoming both USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified. While the organic industry understands that Organic is Non-GMO, consumers don’t share that same understanding. However, a research study showed that both Non-GMO Project and Organic seals are the most sought after certification seals on food products. The USDA Organic seal is recognized by 87% of consumers while 80% of consumers also recognize the Non-GMO Project seal. (Source: Linkage Research)
Japan Organic (JAS)
The U.S. has an organic equivalence arrangement with Japan. This means that, as long as the terms of the arrangement are met, certified organic operations in Japan or in the U.S. may sell their products as organic in either country.
Where Food Comes From Organic can facilitate access to Japanese organic markets (JAS).
Source Verification
Identification and traceability are the cornerstones of this claim. To know an animal’s birthplace, we must to be able to review records that identify the animal in a unique way tied to that specific source of origin. This is most often done with the use of individual, electronic ear tags that the animals wear, which are then cross referenced to specific records maintained on the farm or ranch. Source can also be tracked in fruits, vegetables, grains, and all types of agricultural products. If you want the story behind your food, you must first know where it came from! That is why nearly 100% of WFCF verification programs and services start with Source Verification as their base requirement.
Sustainability
SureHarvest product offerings, including strategic advisory services and sustainability program development, are complementary solutions that may be bundled with applicable verification and certification services. And if you are looking for innovative technology to support verification of your sustainability program, the SureHarvest Sustainability MIS platform is a customizable, secure and confidential web-based platform you can utilize. SureHarvest is a division of Where Food Comes From, Inc.
Safe Quality Food (SQF)
In striving to provide you with a robust agricultural system, Validus, a division of WFCF, has is capable of auditing in the food safety space. Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 2 is Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked. Validus is licensed by the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) and accredited by the American National Standards Institute to perform SQF audits, both on farm and in plants processing raw agricultural goods. Certification schemes benchmarked by GFSI, such as SQF, are recognized worldwide and are requested more and more frequently by customers of food processors and manufacturers.
Validus currently conducts audits in 13 different SQF Food Sector Categories (FSC). Is your FSC not listed? Contact us to see if we can add it on!
Where Food Comes From CARE Certified
Where Food Comes From CARE Certified is a suite of sustainability standards that certifies participating farmers and ranchers who are implementing best practices in animal husbandry, environmental stewardship and a productive engagement with their local communities and the people within them.
CARE Certified values are rooted in a firm belief that farmers and ranchers are stewards of our natural resources whom are always looking to continuously improve sustainability practices and create a legacy.
CARE Certified certification creates value by communicating the invaluable role that farmers and ranchers play in animal care, environment and their local communities. CARE Certified is available to beef, dairy, fish, pork and poultry producers.
