Organic Certification Glossary: 45 Terms in Plain Words
This glossary explains 45 words you will hear when you get certified organic, in plain words. It is written by Kona Organic, a national organic consulting firm, for farms, handlers, and food brands. The terms are grouped by where they come up.
Getting certified
USDA Organic. The federal standard for food and farm products sold as organic in the United States.
National Organic Program (NOP). The USDA office that writes and enforces the organic rules.
7 CFR Part 205. Where the organic rules are written in federal law. Rule numbers that start with 205 come from here.
Certifier. A company or agency approved by the USDA to review plans, send inspectors, and grant organic certificates. Also called a certifying agent.
Inspector. The person who visits your operation and reports what they see to the certifier. The inspector does not make the decision.
Consultant. Someone who works for you, not the certifier, to get your plan, records, and site ready.
Organic System Plan (OSP). The written plan that says how your operation follows the rules. You update it every year.
Scope. The type of certification: crops, wild crops, livestock, or handling.
Organic certificate. The paper from your certifier that lists your operation and the products you can sell as organic.
Exempt operation. One that sells $5,000 or less of organic products a year. It must follow the rules but does not need a certificate, and cannot use the USDA seal.
Cost share. A USDA program that pays back part of your certification fees.
Land and crops
Transition. The 36 months land must go without prohibited materials before a crop can be harvested as organic.
Land history. Proof of what was applied to a field over the last three years.
Prohibited material. Anything the rules do not allow on organic land or in organic products.
National List. The list of synthetic materials that are allowed and natural materials that are not.
Input. Anything you put on your land or crop, such as fertilizer, compost, or pest sprays.
Buffer zone. A strip between your organic crop and a neighbor's land that keeps drift and runoff off the crop.
Drift. Spray or dust that moves from someone else's land onto yours.
Commercial availability. The test for using seed that is not organic. You must show the organic form could not be found in the form, quality, or amount you needed.
Parallel production. Growing the same crop as both organic and not organic. It takes extra records to keep them apart.
Split operation. A farm or plant that handles both organic and products that are not organic.
Handling and labels
Handler. Anyone who packs, processes, stores, or sells organic products, other than the final retailer in most cases.
Commingling. Organic and product that is not organic getting mixed together. It is not allowed.
Contamination. Organic product touching a prohibited material, such as a sanitizer residue or a pest spray.
100% Organic. A label for products made only with organic ingredients.
Organic. A label for products with at least 95 percent organic ingredients.
Made with organic. A label for products with at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The USDA seal cannot be used.
Co-packer. A company that makes or packs a product for a brand. It usually needs its own organic certificate.
Private label. A product sold under a brand that did not make it.
Inspection and records
Audit trail. Records that link a product from the field or supplier to the sale.
Lot number. A code that ties one batch of product to its records.
Trace test. An inspection check that follows one sale back to its source. Also called a trace back.
Mass balance. An inspection check that compares what came in with what went out.
Clean out log. A record that shows equipment was cleaned before organic product ran on it.
Unannounced inspection. A visit with little or no notice. Certifiers must do some each year.
Residue test. A lab test for prohibited materials on a crop or product.
Exit interview. The talk at the end of an inspection where the inspector lists what was found.
Problems and enforcement
Noncompliance. A written finding that part of your operation does not meet the rules. You get a deadline to respond.
Corrective action. What you do to fix a noncompliance and keep it from happening again.
Proposed suspension. A notice that your certificate may be suspended. You have rights to respond, including mediation and appeal.
Mediation. A way to settle a dispute with your certifier before it goes to an appeal.
Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE). The rule that took full effect in 2024. It added fraud prevention plans, import certificates, and certification for more traders and brokers.
Organic fraud prevention plan. The part of your Organic System Plan that says how you check suppliers and guard against fraud.
Organic Integrity Database. The free USDA list of every certified operation and what it is certified for.
NOP Import Certificate. An electronic certificate that must travel with organic products coming into the United States.
Who can help
Kona Organic writes Organic System Plans, sets up records, and gets farms, handlers, and brands ready for inspection. If a word on your certifier's letter is not on this list, ask us on a free 15 minute call.
Kona Organic is a national organic certification consulting firm, headquartered in Hawaiʻi. The team works with farms, handlers, and food brands in all 50 states and US territories, on site or remotely, and with exporters overseas.
Common questions
What is the difference between a certifier, an inspector, and a consultant?
The certifier makes the decision. The inspector visits and reports. The consultant works for you to get you ready.
What does OSP stand for?
Organic System Plan. It is the written plan for how your operation follows the organic rules.
What does NOP stand for?
National Organic Program, the USDA office that runs the organic rules.
Where are the organic rules written?
In federal law at 7 CFR Part 205.
Last updated: October 2026.
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