Mexico, US Collaborate on Organic Certification to Boost Trade

Mexico and the United States are working together toward homogeneous organic product certifications, which is expected to boost trade between the two countries, whose markets are experiencing growth due to high product demand, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER).

Trade delegations from Mexico and the state of California, United States, held a meeting to address the challenges and opportunities offered by the organic market of both nations to entrepreneurs in the sector. The consumer potential of the two countries is 400 million and shows a growing trend due to the high demand for products, SADER pointed out.

The National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) emphasized that harmonizing certification criteria and procedures between countries strengthens the safe trade of organic products. Additionally, it streamlines commercial operations and reduces certification costs for producers and industry, providing greater guarantees to consumers in importing countries. In Mexico, organic agricultural activity is regulated by the Mexican Organic Production Law (LMP), published in 2006. In 2023, Mexico achieved certification equivalence for organic products with Canada. Moreover, in February of this year, the countries renewed the agreement by signing a Memorandum of Understanding valid until 2017.

Currently, Mexico is awaiting a second evaluation visit from auditors of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to thoroughly understand Mexico's organic certification system and the scheme established with the Canadians. According to SADER, both countries have established an Organic Compliance Committee to achieve the objectives of the work program set for the signing of the Equivalence Agreement. This committee focuses on determining training priorities for producers and certification bodies, highlighting the organization of equivalence workshops for certifiers from Mexico and the United States.

Organic production in Mexico has a history of over 60 years. According to USDA data from 2022, Mexico has 1.2 million ha of certified organic land in use, and by 2021 there were 48,641 certified organic producers in Mexico. Among Mexico's offerings are avocado, producing more than 84,000t/y; coffee, with over 36,000t/y, and mango, with more than 35,000t/y. At the regional level, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Michoacan are among the main states producing certified organic foods, as reported by SADER.

In the United States, there were 17,445 certified organic farms by 2021, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). California leads the nation in certified organic sales with US$3.55 billion, constituting 32% of domestic production. The state has 3,061 certified farms and 329,296 certified organic ha of land, as reported in NASS’s 2021 Organic Survey. Moreover, in line with California’s 2022 Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality, the state aims to increase organic production to 20% of cultivated land by 2045.

SADER highlighted that the US organic food market offers significant opportunities for Mexican exporters, since the neighboring country ranks second globally in food imports and accounts for 20% of total domestic organic consumption. In 2021, organic retail sales in the United States were estimated at over US$52 billion, making up about 5.5% of all retail food sales, according to the USDA.