THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM
Government News
VN’s farm produce get USDA organic certification
VGP – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently granted USDA organic certification to four groups of farming products, including vegetables and fruits, rice, shrimp and fish, of the Ho Chi Minh City Commercial Cooperative Alliance (Saigon Co.op), which is a positive and proud sign for Vietnamese agriculture.
The USDA standards certifying the quality of organic products has been known as the world’s most prestigious certification because it abides by strict production and labeling requirements to ensure the output quality.
In order to be labeled with the USDA logo, Co.op Organic products (the brand name of Saigon Co.op) must have over 95% organic ingredients and must not use preservatives and most of chemical ingredients in processing.
Similar to the USDA organic certification process, the European Union’s organic certification process (EU for abbreviation) requires companies to meet strict requirements on organic standards stipulated in the EU’s Regulation No. 834/2007 on organic production and labeling.
In order to ensure the rights of consumers, the EU’s regulations on organic agriculture not only stipulate organic production and processing, but also organic control and labeling. Currently, the EU standards have been recognized by more than 47 countries in the world.
In principle, organic products must satisfy USDA and EU standards before reaching the hands of consumers.
The four groups of Co.op Organic products developed by Saigon Co.op receiving USDA and EU organic certification for the first time have brought pride to Viet Nam’s farm produce.
By Vien Nhu