Are you still in the process of determining if certification is a good fit for you? Perhaps you've decided you want to become part of the certified food and agriculture industry but don't know where to start or what is involved. 

This page is designed to assist you with the initial steps to certification. The information and resources listed below will help you understand what the process involves, and point you in the direction of people who can help you get started.

You've heard organic and sustainable practices are better for the land, the environment, animals, and people. You know there can be price premiums and marketing benefits for certified products. You’ve decided certification is the way you want to go. But what needs to be done before you send in an application? 

Following are a few things to consider when pursuing certification:

• Learn about the Standards and regulations relevant to your location and operation;
• Visit the ATTRA website for checklists;
• Although organic certifiers in the United States certify to the USDA National Organic Program, not all certifiers are the same. Fee structures, deadlines, paperwork, etc may differ.
• Talk to people currently certified; they can give opinions about the integrity, commitment and service certain certifiers hold to.
  
• Contact the certifier – ask for a quote of what your certification costs would be. Remember – fee structures differ so the process to deliver a quote may also differ;
  
• Ask for all costs, including: inspection, administrative and support fees, label review, subcontractors being certified on your behalf, percent of sales fees, etc. 

Once you've done the preliminary work and are ready to get certified, follow our five easy steps to certification.

Whether it’s your first certification inspection, or your fifth, what you need to have available on the day of the inspection – and what this inspection will entail – can still be confusing.

The most important part of certification, and what the inspection is meant to prove, is that: 

• the supply chain behind your product is traceable from production, through handling and/or manufacturing, to the final point of purchase by the consumer, and,
  
• your product meets the requirements and attributes of the certification standard to which your product is being certified.

Certification clients know first-hand that this tracking requires a great deal of paperwork and a good organizational system in place. 

One of the first things you'll learn when going through the certification process is that your certifier, at times, doesn't appear to be a lot of help.

To ensure credibility of the certification process, certifiers are not allowed to provide consulting related to your operation. We can (and will) let you know what you are doing wrong, but can't tell you how to do it right.

This necessary limitation is frustrating not only to clients and new applicants, but to ICS staff as well. Therefore, we have included several links on our resources page to places you can go to get answers.

International Certification Services, Inc. 
301 5th Ave SE Medina, ND 58467 United States 
Tel: 701-486-3578 * Fax: 701-486-3580 * email: info@ics-intl.com