Organic refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed, but the term “organic” does not mean anything without formal certification. The world’s most stringent organic certification process remains the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). An organic ingredient or product that is certified organic by the USDA NOP guidelines is the gold standard. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. All of LEAP’s organic ingredients meet the USDA NOP guidelines, and this is something we do like to brag about!

In order to have your ingredients and products certified organic, a company must enlist the services of an organic certifier. These folks are third parties that verify that a company’s ingredients and processes have met all of the USDA’s organic guidelines. LEAP uses Oregon Tilth to certify its organic ingredients and processes in accordance with the USDA’s guidelines. Oregon Tilth is one of the nation’s leading organic certifying agencies. To learn more about them, please visit http://tilth.org.

What does it mean to be certified organic?
For starters, no toxic pesticides or herbicides were used to grow the ingredients. In order to be an organic farm, the land on which the plants are grown must not have had prohibited substances applied (such as toxic and persistent chemical pesticide and fertilizers) for three years prior to the farm being certified organic.

Secondly, farmers and processors must keep detailed and audited records of methods and materials used in growing or processing organic products.

In addition, a third-party certifier approved by the USDA must inspect the methods and materials used annually.

Lastly, and just as important, all handlers and farmers are required to maintain an Organic Systems Plan detailing their agricultural practices. This plan outlines how their specific farm will meet the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) standards. For most farms, this means the use of: crop rotation to prevent soil depletion, planting cover crops to add nutrients back into the soil, releasing beneficial insects and birds to prey on pests rather than insecticides, and adding composted manure to help the land retain moisture and nutrients without the need for chemical fertilizers.