Farmers, organic businesses, and consumers all depend on the strong enforcement of the National Organic Program's organic standards and guidelines to ensure supply chain integrity. Most certified organic operations follow the rules and value the organic systems and processes developed and enforced by the NOP. Organic demand continues to increase because consumers value organic practices and products. What happens if consumers can no longer trust the practices backed by the USDA Organic Seal?
Unfortunately there will always be bad actors -- people who are deliberately breaking the rules for financial gain or just to bust the system. We understand there are real fears of retribution and punishment, that is why the USDA National Organic Program has created an online, anonymous complaint form to help investigate these bad actors. You do not need to provide any identifying information and your anonymity is protected by federal law. Photos, receipts, or tips on which crops or fields to test are helpful in filing the complaint. People who are cheating the system, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of producers and operations and the integrity of the National Organic Program, should be held accountable.
If you have information about operations deliberately breaking the rules, we urge you to file an anonymous complaint with the NOP, and help set a precedent that this fraud is not going unnoticed.
