OTA Launches Organic Fraud Prevention Program

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has announced a program that “provides organic businesses with a risk-based approach for developing and implementing a written strategic plan to assure the authenticity of organic products.” Each of the pilot program’s participants “will concentrate on one product or ingredient” or “a specific location” then seek feedback from other stakeholders in the supply chain, according to OTA’s press release. The plan will focus on (i) “identifying and assessing specific weaknesses or vulnerabilities in their business that pose the most risk of fraud”; (ii) “identifying and taking measures to reduce those vulnerabilities to deter fraud”; (iii) “establishing a monitoring program to ensure the fraud prevention measures are in place”; and (iv) “developing a complaint system to be used when fraud is suspected or detected.”