Organic Accounts Require Knowledge, Ingenuity and Discipline

We all know the challenges associated with servicing food operations. These sensitive accounts require special care, extremely close attention to labels and very thoughtful application practices. Organic food operations require even greater care, as the requirements for labeling a product “organic” are quite stringent.

“Our work with organic accounts dates back to the early 1980s, when one of our clients, Eden Foods, challenged us to develop pest management strategies that were consistent with the practices used by organic farmers,” shares Ernest Otter III, whose EcoPest LLC has built a reputation throughout Michigan and beyond for its organic pest management protocols. “The farmers couldn’t use prohibited pesticides for three years prior to producing their first organic crop. To then bring those products into one of their warehouses or processing facilities and spray them with a conventional synthetic pesticide would have defeated the entire purpose of the organic growing methods.”

As Otter’s team worked to develop solutions for Eden Foods, the USDA was working on a national standards program. Today, the National Organic Program (NOP), created under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), sets the regulations for the production, handling and labeling of all USDA organic products. PMPs treating organic operations or warehouses need to be up on all of the latest rules and must check every product they use against the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, which identifies the synthetic substances that may be used and the natural substances that may not be used in organic production, processing and warehousing.

“The OFPA requires preventive practices first; only when these practices have not proven effective can we resort to pesticides listed on the National List,” explains Otter. “The key is to work closely with each organic food client to develop an organic handling plan that identifies target pests and sets forth the programs and practices that will be used in each facility to prevent pest activity.”

Otter points out the importance of recognizing that a product’s active and inert ingredients must both conform to the National List; otherwise, the product may compromise the organic integrity of the certified food products that are processed or handled in their clients’ facilities.

“You need to dig deep, tapping into your expertise of pest biology and exercising your skills in investigation and communication,” he concludes. “Only then can you succeed in developing and implementing an effective certified organic program.”