Who Needs To Be Certified?

Most farms and businesses that grow, handle, or 

process organic products must be certified, including:

- Farms that sell more than $5,000 in organic 

products per year (gross sales).

- Handlers that sell more than $5,000 of organic 

processed food, including handlers that place 

bulk products into smaller packages or that 

repackage/relabel products. 

- Processors that sell more than $5,000 of organic 

processed products, unless all products contain 

less than 70 percent organic ingredients or only 

identify the organic ingredients in the ingredient 

statement.

- Vendors that handle (e.g. package) and sell 

products online (but not in stores) or otherwise 

deliver organic products. 

Overall, if you make a product and want to claim that 

it or its ingredients are organic, your final product 

probably also needs to be certified. Please review the 

examples and exemptions below.

If you wish to make any organic claim on the granola’s 

principal display panel (front of the package), yes, you 

must be certified. Organic claims include any use of the 

word “organic” (alone or referring to specific organic 

ingredients) or the USDA organic seal. Only products 

meeting all requirements for the “organic” or the “100 

percent organic” labeling categories may use the USDA 

organic seal anywhere on the package. 

If you are only identifying specific 

organic ingredients in the ingredient statement 

and aren’t making an organic claim elsewhere, review 

the “exempt handling operations” section on next page.

If you are a retail food establishment, review the 

“retail food establishments” section on next page. 

Learn more about requirements for each labeling 

category at www.ams.usda.gov/NOPOrganicLabeling.

If you are only selling a pre-packaged product, you 

don’t need to be certified. The company that does the 

final packaging for your product must be certified and 

get any organic product label approved prior to sale. 

Who Doesn’t Need to Be Certified?

The following operations do not need to be certified:

- Small organic farms and businesses (gross 

agricultural income from organic sales does 

not exceed $5,000 per year)

- Some brokers, distributors, and traders (see 

below)

- Retail food establishments.

- Exempt handling operations (see below).

Although certification is not required for these “exempt” 

or “excluded” operations, they may pursue voluntary 

organic certification. Exempt and excluded operations 

still need to comply with specific sections of the USDA 

organic regulations (please see other side).

Do I Need To Be Certified Organic?

I combine multiple certified 

organic ingredients to make organic 

granola. Do I need to be certified?

Another company packages my 

product. They have an organic certificate. 

Do I also have to be certified?

USDA National Organic Program | Agricultural Marketing Service June 2012
Small Organic Farms and Businesses

If your farm or business’ gross agricultural income from 

organic sales is $5,000 or less per year, it is considered 

an “exempt” operation. This means you don’t need to 

be certified to sell, label, or represent your products 

as organic. You also do not need to develop a written 

organic system plan. However, you must follow all 

other requirements in the USDA organic regulations. 

Specifically, you must: 

- Maintain records for at least three years. 

- Not use the USDA organic seal on your products 

or refer to them as certified organic. If you would 

like to use the USDA organic seal, pursue organic 

certification.

- Meet other USDA organic labeling requirements.

- Not sell your products as ingredients for use in 

someone else’s certified organic product.

- Register with the California Department of Food 

and Agriculture if your farm is in California.

Brokers, Distributors, and Traders Who 

Handle Products in Closed Containers

If your operation only sells, transports, stores, receives, 

or acquires products that are received in and remain 

in a container without being processed*, the operation 

does not need to be certified. An example of such 

an “excluded” operation would be one that handles 

boxed organic cereal. However, you must prevent 

commingling with non-organic products and contact 

with prohibited substances. 

If your operation handles bulk, unpackaged organic 

products (such as cattle, milk, or grain), you need to be 

certified or be included under an organic producer or 

handler’s organic system plan.

Retail Food Establishments

If your operation is a retail food establishment, such 

as a grocery store, it does not need to be certified. You 

may sell certified organic products that bear the USDA 

organic seal, as long as you don’t process* them. 

If your retail food establishment processes* certified 

organic products on its premises, the USDA organic 

regulations state that you must:

- Prevent commingling with non-organic products 

and contact with prohibited substances.

- Not use the USDA organic seal or refer to 

processed products as certified organic. If you 

would like to use the USDA organic seal, obtain 

organic certification.

- Meet other USDA organic labeling requirements.

Exempt Handling Operations

If your handling operation:

- Only handles products that contain less than 70 

percent organic ingredients (excluding salt and 

water) or

- Only identifies organic ingredients on the 

product’s information panel,

It does not need to be certified. However, the USDA 

organic regulations state that you must:

- Prevent commingling with non-organic products 

and contact with prohibited substances.

- Meet the USDA organic labeling requirements.

- Maintain records for at least three years that 

prove that the quantity of organic products sold 

were organically produced and handled.

Learn more: www.ams.usda.gov/NOP

Do I Need to Be Certified Organic? (continued)

*Processing: Cooking, baking, curing, heating, drying, mixing, grinding, churning, separating, extracting, 

 slaughtering, cutting, fermenting, distilling, eviscerating, preserving, dehydrating, freezing, chilling, or 

 otherwise manufacturing and includes the packaging, canning, jarring, or otherwise enclosing food in

 a container.