An organic certificate is therefore an important assurance showing that a product complies with organic production and trade rules.
What does an organic certificate show?
An organic certificate shows that a business’s or product’s compliance with the relevant organic production rules has been inspected.
In the certification process, the production method, inputs used, product scope and related activities are assessed within the framework of the defined rules.
But not every organic certificate covers the same scope. Which regulation the certificate was issued under, and which products and activities it covers, matter.
That is why, rather than just looking at the certificate logo, it is necessary to understand the certificate’s scope and validity.
Türkiye, the European Union and USDA NOP
In organic product trade, there may be different regulatory and certification requirements depending on the target market.
In Türkiye, organic production and trade are carried out within the relevant national regulations. For organic products destined for the European Union, EU organic regulations apply; for products destined for the United States, USDA NOP requirements are taken into account.
The common aim of these different systems is to ensure that organic production is carried out within defined rules and that the organic nature of the product is reliably demonstrated.
A certificate alone is not enough
While having an organic certificate is important, reliable organic product trade requires looking at the whole process.
Knowing the product’s source, keeping the related records, carrying out quality checks and protecting the product’s organic identity throughout sourcing, storage and shipment also matter.
Certification and traceability are therefore two complementary elements.
Why does it matter to know the certificate’s scope?
A certificate being valid does not mean that every product or every commercial activity automatically falls within its scope.
Factors such as product group, type of activity, facility and market can determine the certificate’s scope.
Especially in international trade, the standard requested by the customer and the scope of the certificate held need to match.
At Biosmyrna, we conduct our organic product trade with the requirements of different markets in mind, and treat organic certification under the Turkish, European Union and USDA NOP systems as an important part of our commercial activities.
Trust comes from the system behind the document
An organic certificate offers consumers and commercial buyers an important assurance. But real trust comes not just from the existence of a document, but from the production and trade system behind it being run correctly.
For us, an organic certificate is not a document at the end of the process; it is an important part of the chain of trust that runs from the product’s source until it reaches the customer.
