ORGANIC CERTIFICATION FOR HANDLERS
Making, Packing, or Selling Organic Products?
What We Do for Your Business
Processors, packers, co-packers, and food brands have their own organic rules. We handle them for you, anywhere in the world.
Your Handler Plan
We write your handler Organic System Plan and SOPs, including the fraud prevention plan every certified operation now needs.
Suppliers and Labels
We check every ingredient and supplier certificate, and review your labels before they go to print.
Inspection Day, Covered
A practice inspection that traces a product from receiving to sale, and help with every certifier question after.
Why Food Brands Choose Kona Organic
Organic handling rules are strict about suppliers, labels, and records. We set it up once, the right way, so every lot you sell can be traced.
Supplier Checks Done Right
We collect and track every supplier certificate, so nothing lapses and nothing slips through.
Labels That Pass
We review every label and organic claim before it prints, so you never have to reprint or pull product.
Fraud Prevention Built In
Your organic fraud prevention plan, written to fit how your business really buys and sells.
Common Questions
Do I need to be certified if I only pack or relabel organic products?
In most cases, yes. If you handle, pack, relabel, or sell organic products under your own name, you usually need certification. We help you check the exemptions.
What is an organic fraud prevention plan?
It is a written plan that shows how you check suppliers and spot fraud. Every certified handler needs one under the Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule.
Can a co-packer's certificate cover my brand?
Sometimes. It depends on who owns the product and whose name is on the label. We walk you through it.
How long does handler certification take?
Most handlers finish in two to four months once the plan and records are ready.
Do you work with importers and exporters?
Yes. We help set up the import certificates and records that trace each shipment, anywhere in the world.
What records does a handler need to keep?
Supplier certificates, receiving records, lot numbers, production and cleaning logs, and sales records. Keep them for at least five years.
What is a mass balance?
A check that the organic ingredients you bought match the organic products you made and sold. Inspectors test it at your yearly inspection.
Can I make organic and non organic products on the same line?
Yes. You need a written plan to keep them apart, clean the line between runs, and log each cleaning.
How do I get started?
Book a free 15 minute call and tell us what you make, pack, or sell.
What Your Certifier Checks in a Plant
Every ingredient and its supplier certificate, your recipes, your labels, how you clean shared lines, how you track a lot from receiving to shipping, and your fraud prevention plan.
Who Needs a Handler Certificate
If you open, process, pack, or relabel an organic product, you need one. Most importers, brokers, and traders do too. A store that only sells sealed packages usually does not.
How Long It Takes
Plan on three to six months from application to certificate. Label approval and supplier papers are what slow most food brands down, so we start there.
Who this is for
Processors, packers, roasters, co-packers, brands, importers, and traders. If you open, pack, label, or sell an organic product under your name, this is for you.
When to call us
Call before you print labels or sign with a co-packer. Those two choices decide who needs the certificate.
Our conflict of interest policy is simple: we never inspect an operation we consult for, and your certifier always makes the certification decision. Book a consultation to talk through where your operation stands and what it needs.
Related: Organic System Plan Writing • Noncompliance and Suspension Help • Free Record Templates • Take the free readiness quiz • Organic Import and Export • Organic Input Review • Organic Cost Share Help