2023-10: Changes to approved certifying body – Organic Food Chain – JASANZ accreditation

Date of issue: 12 December 2023

Date of effect: Immediate

Reference number: IAN 2023-10
 

Attention

Purpose

To formally notify industry of the recent ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation of The Organic Food Chain Pty Ltd by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ).

Key points

• The Organic Food Chain Pty Ltd has recently transferred their ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation from International Organic Accreditation Service accreditation (IOAS) to JASANZ.
• The Organic Food Chain Pty Ltd is now listed as accredited on the JASANZ website under the new scheme - Organics Scheme (Australia).
• Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17065: 2012 or an equivalent system, is a requirement of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (the department) for all organic approved certifying bodies in Australia.

Background

The department as regulator of Australia's organic exports, and owner of the National Standard for Organic and Bio-dynamic Produce, entered negotiations with JASANZ in early 2023 to gain access to its international recognised accreditation services.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the department and JASANZ will be actioned in early 2024.

The addition of JAZANZ as a provider, under an agreed MOU with the department, adds to the ongoing regulatory reform of the Organic Exports Program.

JASANZ and IOAS are independent, third-party accreditation bodies providing internationally recognised accreditation services.

Further information

Contact OrganicExports@aff.gov.au if you have any queries.

The information provided in this advice is current at the time of writing and is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Commonwealth endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice.