Every organic representation you publish on your website carries real regulatory weight. Under the USDA National Organic Program, misuse or misrepresentation of organic status can result in civil penalties per product, per claim, per instance. Even well-managed operations can unknowingly drift out of alignment with their current certification scope, OID product information, approved labels, or Organic System Plan documentation.

Each checker is one automated web check. Enter an operation name and website URL. The checker retrieves available OID information for the operation — including certification status, operation details, and listed products or product categories — scans public-facing product pages, and identifies organic representations that may need review.

OWC is not a certifying agent and does not make certification decisions. It is a decision-support tool that helps surface public-facing organic representations for review by the operation, certifying agent, consultant, or compliance team.

Identifying potential mismatches early gives operations and certifying agents a chance to review and address issues before they escalate into:

Designed for operations where compliance review is critical:

Under the USDA National Organic Program, the scope of a certificate of organic operation defines which products, activities, locations, and supply chain roles are covered. A public-facing organic representation that falls outside certification scope — even unintentionally — may be subject to review under 7 CFR § 205.307.

Certified producers (CROPS or LIVESTOCK scope) are operations that grow or raise organic products — farms, ranches, and growers. Their OID record lists the specific crops or livestock products they are certified to produce. Organic Web Checker compares detected organic representations against those listed products.

Certified handlers (HANDLING scope) are operations that process, package, store, distribute, or market organic products — including brand owners who sell products under their own label. Under USDA NOP (7 CFR § 205.101) and the Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule (eff. March 19, 2024), most entities that make or use an organic representation — including brand owners who source from upstream certified suppliers rather than producing themselves — must hold organic handler certification. Certain exemptions may apply, including qualifying retail food establishments and small-scale producers; see 7 CFR § 205.101 for details. Some OID records list general product categories; others list specific products. Full product and supplier detail is documented in the operation’s Organic System Plan (OSP) on file with the certifying agent, and is not publicly visible in the OID.

When Organic Web Checker detects a HANDLING scope operation, results are labeled to reflect that the primary review question extends beyond public OID product information to include OSP documentation, supplier certificates, approved product records, and approved labels. The question shifts from “is this in the OID product information?” to “is this documented in the OSP with verified upstream certification and approved labels?” Ref: 7 CFR § 205.201 • SOE Final Rule (88 FR 2799, Jan. 19, 2023)

Every Organic Web Checker report automatically detects the operation’s certified scope (CROPS, LIVESTOCK, HANDLING, WILD CROPS) from the USDA OID and adjusts how results are presented:

Future Scope Validator phases will include OSP product list comparison, facility location cross-check, private label relationship mapping, and inspector prep summaries.