The South African organic certification landscape
Organic certification offers assurance that consumers can trust.
1st Party
A first party organic certification is a “self-claim” which is not verified by outside parties. It covers a direct relationship between a farmer and a consumer whereby you visit the farm or discuss with the farmer and are satisfied with his claims.
2nd Party
Second-party organic certification in South Africa is assured by a Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and works withshort supply chains. PGS provides a locally focused quality assurance system that certifies producers based on active participation. PGS SA is a SAOSO partner.
3rd Party
Third party organic certification is required for long supply chains and export. The processes are certified annually by an accredited certifying body (ACB) to specific organic standards.
SAOSO has developed a local Standard for Organic Production and Processing which is included in the IFOAM Family of Standards. Chapters 1, 2 and 3 are applicable to all crop and animal production systems. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 are applicable to all systems, including processing. Appendix 9 deals specifically with PGS systems.
The SAOSO organic standard is verified locally. Consumers can recognise compliance with the standard represented by these two trademarked logos.
If you would like to consider being third party certified, please go through this infographic.
Questions for farmers thinking about third party organic certification.
If you suspect misrepresentation or if you want verification that a product is in fact organic, then please contact SAOSO through our contact form.
See FAQ about organic certification here.
