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AnnouncementSeptember 3, 2015



The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) wishes to alert you to the presence of five fraudulent organic certificates.

Alert: Fraudulent Organic Certificates

Fraudulent organic certificates listing the following businesses are in use and have been reported to the National Organic Program (NOP):  
  •          ANR Agencies
  •          Del Rey Company - listing contact information for
        a company called Rollomatieasie Co. Ltd
  •          Maguey Agave Pty Ltd
  •          Shandong Wonderful Industrial Group Co., Ltd
  •          Xiʹan Union Herb Biotech Inc.
Review these and other fraudulent certificates online at: Fraudulent Organic Certificates.
 
These certificates falsely represent agricultural products as certified organic under the USDA organic regulations, violating the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990.
 
Fraudulent certificates may have been created and used without the knowledge of the operator or the certifying agent named in the certificate. The posting of fraudulent certificates does not necessarily mean that the named operator or certifying agent was involved in illegal activity. If an operation named on a fraudulent certificate is certified, its certifying agent, identified in the list of certified operations, can provide additional information and verifications to the organic trade.
 
Organic handlers should continue to review certificates carefully, validate with their certifying agents where needed, and send any suspicious certificates to the NOP Compliance and Enforcement Division.
 
Any use of this certificate or other fraudulent documents to market, label, or sell non-organic products as organic can result in a civil penalty of up to $11,000 per violation.
 
Persons with information regarding the production or use of this or other fraudulent NOP certificates are asked to send information to the NOP Compliance and Enforcement Division.

About the Agricultural Marketing Service
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) facilitates the competitive and efficient marketing of agricultural products. Through its National Organic Program, AMS facilitates trade and ensures the integrity of organic agricultural products by consistently implementing organic standards and enforcing compliance with the regulations throughout the world.  
About the USDA Organic Insider

The USDA Organic Insider informs the organic community on a wide range of functions, including regulatory updates, requests for public comments, and USDA programs and services.
 
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