United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. Policy Memo 12-2

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250

PM 12-2 Placement of “Certified Organic By ***” Statement Rev 01 - 01 09 13 Authorized Distribution: Public

Page 1 of 2

Policy Memorandum

To: Stakeholders and Interested Parties 

From: Miles McEvoy, Deputy Administrator 

Subject: Placement of “Certified Organic By ***” Statement

Date: Revised – January 9, 2013. Original Issue Date – September 12, 2012.

The USDA organic regulations require that packaged products include a statement similar to, 

“certified organic by (name of certifying agent that certified the handler of the finished 

product).” Specifically, this statement must be placed below the information identifying the 

handler or distributor of the product in all three organic labeling categories:

• Organic, per Section 205.303(b)(2).

• 100 percent organic, per Section 205.303(b)(2).

• “Made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)),” per Section 205.304(b)(2).

However, previous NOP correspondence and training modules addressing the placement of the 

“certified organic by ***” statement deviated from the USDA organic regulations. The NOP 

received several related questions from certifying agents and has corrected these errors on its 

website. The NOP understands that many certified operations’ certifying agents have approved 

product labels based on these incorrect NOP resources and would incur financial hardship to 

print new labels.

The “certified organic by ***” statement plays a critical role in ensuring the integrity of organic 

products, allowing consumers and the organic trade to verify the certification status of final 

product handlers. Its placement below the statement identifying the handler or distributor of the 

product helps it stand out from other label elements, but does not affect its utility. 

Certifying agents should ensure that all new product labels include a statement similar to 

“certified organic by (name of certifying agent that certified the handler of the finished 

product).” This statement must be placed below the information identifying the handler or 

distributor of the product as required by the USDA organic regulations.
United States Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Avenue SW. Policy Memo 12-2

Agricultural Marketing Service Room 2646-South Building

National Organic Program Washington, DC 20250

PM 12-2 Placement of “Certified Organic By ***” Statement Rev 01 - 01 09 13 Authorized Distribution: Public

Page 2 of 2

NOP is granting a transition period regarding the placement of the “certified organic by ***”

statement for existing product labels: 

Before January 1, 2016:

• Packaged product labels must comply with all USDA organic requirements except for the 

placement of the “certified organic by ***” statement.

• The “certified organic by ***” statement must still be present on the package.

• Certifying agents must identify and address non-compliant packaged product labels.

On and after January 1, 2016:

• Packaged product labels must meet all USDA organic regulations, including the 

placement of the “certified organic by ***” statement.

For additional information, certified operations should contact their certifying agent and 

certifying agents should contact their NOP Accreditation Manager.