The Certification Process


For a product to become CERT ID certified each ingredient must be Identity Preserved (IP) throughout the production chain. Below, the process of certification will be outlined with a focus on one ingredient, soy lecithin, and the ways in which this ingredient is often used in the food production chain.

Soy lecithin is a mixture of fatty substances that are derived from the processing of soybeans and it is often used in animal feed applications all the way to pharmaceuticals and protective coatings. Lecithin is a natural lubricant and emulsifier that, for example, is used to keep the chocolate and cocoa butter in a candy bar from separating.

The certified lecithin begins, naturally, as soybean seed, and must be derived from non-GM seed stock.

To reduce the chance of volunteer plantings (such as seeds from last year's harvest), the grower must take care to clean his equipment and sow anew on fields that have produced non-GM for at least two harvests. Also, the grower must take care during harvest to clean his equipment and not commingle the crop with that from other fields. A sample of the crop is tested for GMOs before being placed in storage or put into production.

It is in the interest of the processor/manufacturer receiving raw material product that he obtains assurance that the shipment:

• comes from a certified production system and that.
• the shipment itself, is product-certified as 'Non-GMO'.

The processor receives raw product and turns it into ingredients. The processor may buy from a Cert ID 'Non-GMO' certified supplier or he may choose to contract with growers to become 'Non-GMO'. Between facilities, all movement of the non-GM product must be tracked with the proper documentation to keep its Identity Preservation (IP) status.

The verified non-GMO soy may now be processed into lecithin at facilities that have been inspected by a qualified Cert ID inspector and shown to have processes in place to prevent inadvertent commingling of non-GM and GM materials. The final material can now be retested and certified 'Non-GMO' lecithin.

A chocolate manufacturer will buy lecithin from the processor in different sized sealed containers and incorporate it into a finished product. If he wants to market a CERT ID certified 'Non-GMO' chocolate bar, his facilities and production practices must have been inspected by CERT ID. Additional ingredients will be tested and/or verified as 'Non-GMO'.

'Non-GMO' Certification of the Supply Chain

The supply chain for almost all food products contain the following stages. All ingredients from the supply chain need to be inspected, audited, sampled and tested for GMOs before 'Non-GMO' certification from CERT ID may be granted.

• Assessment of a farm/cooperative
  and its seed supplier(s)

• Assessment of the processor (seed crusher, processing plant etc.)

• Assessment of logistics
  (Transportation [e.g, trains, trucks (lorries), ships], as well as warehouses, silos, elevators, loading/unloading facilities, ports)

Once the production system of a producer has met the requirements of the Cert ID Standard, this system will be granted System Certification. Third-party inspectors periodically review systems and procedures, audit documentation and inspect operations and facilities to ensure compliance with the Cert ID Standards.

Methods and Tools