A woman kneeling over a tray of tomatoes in a greenhouse

MOSA provides our clients with much more than just certification.

Joe Pedretti

MOSA Client Services Director

Certification & Policy Update

Certification & Policy Update

 

Vertically Integrated Business Models and MOSA Organic Certification 

Vertically integrated business models offer many benefits, including increased control over supply chains. As your organic certifier, MOSA is responsible to ensure that all of your organic activities are compliant with the National Organic Standards, and are thoroughly described in your Organic System Plan. We are working to better define expectations for these business types, to ensure we have a complete understanding of how you may be involved with, or provide organic oversight to other operations in your supply chains, to ensure your operation is in full compliance. We look forward to working with our vertically integrated operations to make sure there are no gaps in your organic certification! These activities include but are not limited to:

  • Consultancy or contractual requirements regarding organic practices you may provide to growers or suppliers;
  • Consultancy or contractual agreements that dictate inputs (feed, seed, fertilizers, or any specific practices) for producers or livestock operations;
  • Brokering or distribution of livestock;
  • Brokering or distribution of ingredients.

Please review your organic system plan and inform MOSA if you feel there are areas or activities that have been overlooked. More information will be provided in future communications to address any possible gaps in your certification. We appreciate your cooperation!

 

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB/Board) Meeting

The next meeting will be held virtually October 27th  - October 29th - details are below.  These meetings are free, open to the public, and no registration is required, except to sign up for oral comments.   Additional meeting information, including links to join virtually, will be posted below as it becomes available. This information will be available on the NOSB Meeting site: https://www.ams.usda.gov/event/national-organic-standards-board-nosb-meeting-Fall-2026

 

Public Comment Webinars

Day 1: Tuesday, Oct. 20 from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern

Day 2: Thursday, Oct. 22 from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern

 

Public Meeting

Day 1: Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern

Day 2: Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern

Day 3: Thursday, Oct. 29 from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern

 

The Common OSP

On Jul 7, 2026, the National Organic Program (NOP) released their Common Organic System Plan (OSP) to help elevate the challenges farmers and business owners face when trying to work with multiple government agencies to describe their organic practices and standardize the expectations that certifiers have of our clients. While the NOP is not making the Common OSP mandatory, they have encouraged certifiers to adopt the common OSP. MOSA does not wish to ask our clients to complete new OSPs from scratch, so we are beginning work starting next month in order to determine the best way to adapt our systems to be able to accept the common OSP if it is presented to us and harmonize the forms our clients have already completed with this new format. 

 

If you’d like to view the Common OSP, you can view it here : https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification/organic-system-plan