INDOCERT is a nationally and internationally operating, certification body established in India. It is accredited by National Accreditation Body (NAB), Government of India, as per National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). Furthermore, INDOCERT offers Organic certification as per USDA-NOP standards for products destined for export to the United States. DAkkS, the German Accreditation Body accredited INDOCERT as per ISO65/ EN45011 to carry out certification of products according to INDOCERT Organic Standard (equivalent to EC Reg. No.834/2007 and 889/2008) for Non EU country operators in the field of Plant Production, Feed Production, Feed Processing, Aquaculture and the export of these products according to the regulation of importing countries. INDOCERT is listed as equivalent certification body by European Union for the purpose of equivalence as per INDOCERT organic standard for Non EU country operators (equivalent to EC regulation 834/2007& 889/2008).

INDOCERT is accredited as per ISO 17021 & ISO 22003 by National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB, QCI, India) for providing Food Safety Management System Certification based on ISO 22000:2005 and I.S.343:2000 HACCP Certification. Indocert is accredited from National Accreditation Board for education and Training (NABET, QCI, India) for conducting Lead Auditor course for food safety management system (ISO 22000:2005) for auditors and issue certificate to successful participants. INDOCERT is approved by Highfield awarding body for compliance(HABC) to offer Food Safety Training Programmes from Foundation Level to Level 4 and also Approved by Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), UK to offer Food Safety Training Programmes from Foundation Level to Level 4

We are approved by UTZ for providing inspection certification services Coffee, Tea, Cocoa. INDOCERT is India’s first indigenous certification body approved as per current version of the Sustainable Agriculture Network – Rainforest Alliance(SAN/RA) Accreditation Requirements for Certification Bodies for Agriculture farms ,Group administrators & Chain of Custody.

Reference:

Indocert

An organic label indicates to the consumer that a product was produced using certain production methods. In other words, organic is a process claim rather than a product claim. An apple produced by practices approved for organic production may very well be identical to an apple produced under other agricultural management regimes.

5. Several countries and a multitude of private certification organizations have defined organic agriculture. In the past, differences in these definitions were significant but the demand for consistency by multinational traders, has led to great uniformity. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), a non-governmental organization internationally networking and promoting organic agriculture, has established guidelines that have been widely adopted for organic production and processing.

6. Most recently, the Codex Committee on Food Labelling has debated “Draft Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods”; adoption of a single definition for organic agriculture by the Codex Alimentarius Commission is expected at its next meeting in June, 1999. According to the proposed Codex definition, “organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It emphasises the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs, taking into account that regional conditions require locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfil any specific function within the system.”

7. Organic agriculture is one of several approaches to sustainable agriculture and many of the techniques used (e.g. inter-cropping, rotation of crops, double-digging, mulching, integration of crops and livestock) are practised under various agricultural systems. What makes organic agriculture unique, as regulated under various laws and certification programmes, is that: (1) almost all synthetic inputs are prohibited,³ and (2) `soil building’ crop rotations are mandated.⁴

The basic rules of organic production are that natural inputs⁵ are approved and synthetic inputs are prohibited. But there are exceptions in both cases. Certain natural inputs determined by the various certification programmes to be harmful to human health or the environment are prohibited (e.g. arsenic). As well, certain synthetic inputs determined to be essential and consistent with organic farming philosophy, are allowed (e.g. insect pheromones). Lists of specific approved synthetic inputs and prohibited natural inputs are maintained by all certification programmes and such a list is under negotiation in Codex. Many certification programmes require additional environmental protection measures in addition to these two requirements. While many farmers in the developing world do not use synthetic inputs, this alone is not sufficient to classify their operations as organic

There are many explanations and definitions for organic agriculture but all converge to state that it is a system that relies on ecosystem management rather than external agricultural inputs. It is a system that begins to consider potential environmental and social impacts by eliminating the use of synthetic inputs, such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, veterinary drugs, genetically modified seeds and breeds, preservatives, additives and irradiation. These are replaced with site-specific management practices that maintain and increase long-term soil fertility and prevent pest and diseases.

“Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It emphasises the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs, taking into account that regional conditions require locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfil any specific function within the system.” (FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, 1999).

Organic agriculture systems and products are not always certified and are referred to as “non-certified organic agriculture or products”. This excludes agriculture systems that do not use synthetic inputs by default (e.g. systems that lack soil building practices and degrade land). Three different driving forces can be identified for organic agriculture:

• Consumer or market-driven organic agriculture. Products are clearly identified through certification and labelling. Consumers take a conscious decision on how their food is produced, processed, handled and marketed. The consumer therefore has a strong influence over organic production.
• Service-driven organic agriculture. In countries such as in the European Union (EU), subsidies for organic agriculture are available to generate environmental goods and services, such as reducing groundwater pollution or creating a more biologically diverse landscape.
• Farmer-driven organic agriculture. Some farmers believe that conventional agriculture is unsustainable and have developed alternative modes of production to improve their family health, farm economies and/or self-reliance. In many developing countries, organic agriculture is adopted as a method to improve household food security or to achieve a reduction of input costs. Produce is not necessarily sold on the market or is sold without a price distinction as it is not certified. In developed countries, small farmers are increasingly developing direct channels to deliver non-certified organic produce to consumers. In the United States of America (USA), farmers marketing small quantities of organic products are formally exempt from certification.

Reference:
http://www.fao.org/organicag/oa-faq/oa-faq1/en/

Put simply, if you see the “USDA Organic” or “Certified Organic” seal on your food, the item must have an ingredients list and the contents should be 95% or more certified organic, meaning free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and dyes, and must not be processed using industrial solvents.

Conventional vs. organic farming. The word “organic” refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution.