Since starting this project, I've wondered what organic certification means for sea vegetables since they don't grow in soil. After much searching and phone calls to various organic certification organizations, I've gotten some answers. Someone from Oregon Tilth was kind enough to let me know that the certification for wild harvested crops is found in section "205.207" of the U.S. Organic Certification cataloging (through the National Organic Program (NOP)).
OCIA, another certification organization gave me the complete list of standards that are currently in use for their personal certification process in regards to sea vegetables. OCIA also let me know that the NOP is currently working on improving standards for aquaculture (sea vegetables fall under this heading) as the field grows. Here are OCIA's standards for sea veggies. Many of Maine Coast Sea Vegetables' products are currently certified organic with OCIA. My remaining question is do other (non-certified) companies follow these practices anyway without being certified?
ORGANIC GUIDELINES FOR WILD SEA VEGETABLES
The following guidelines are written to provide a general background for anyone growing organic wild sea vegetables. These guidelines should be followed if certification of wild sea vegetables will be sought, as they will be the basis for any certification review.
1. SELECTING SEA VEGETABLE BEDS FOR ORGANIC HARVEST
Beds must not be located near any known source of radioactive, chemical, or bacteriological contamination within:
- a. Twenty miles of any nuclear facility,
- b. Three miles of any commercial boat building facility,
- c. Three miles of any industrial discharge area,
- d. Three miles of any city or town sewage discharge,
- e. Three-quarters mile of a small harbor entry,
- f. Three miles of a major harbor or thoroughfare.
above distances more or less critical. Doubts should be settled by testing.
2. MAINTAINING A SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC HARVEST
To insure a bed’s vitality year after year, care should be taken to selectively harvest in the appropriate qualities and manner for the species and nature of each bed including:
- a. Deep kelp beds with plants at a wide range of maturity levels may be harvested more intensely than shallow kelp beds.
- b. First year Atlantic alaria plants that will not survive the winter on high rocks may be harvested more intensely than shallow kelp beds.
- c. Pacific alaria and kelp can be harvested by cutting the growing portions of their blades, leaving their hold fasts and sporophylls of alaria.
- d. Sea palm can be harvested by cutting frond tips from the plant, leaving stipes and a portion of the grooved blades to regenerate.
- e. Dulse, laver, sea palm and ocean ribbons can be selectively harvested several times in one season without affecting recruitment rates.
- f. Use of appropriate harvest tools, such as sickles, knives and other hand tools, will minimize damage to plants and substrate. Any mechanical equipment should be especially designed to minimize plant substrate damage.
- g. Monitor the changes in beds for size, density, color, composition and regeneration to establish a sustainable harvest capacity for each harvester’s unique territory (See Section 11.10. Management Plan,” for details).
During transport, specific measures should be taken to protect certified harvest from contamination including:
- a. Harvest containers, whether baskets, buckets, bags, mash nets, etc. or special container boats should be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed before use with fresh sea water.
- b. Motorless container boats need no floorboards but should have no toxic wood preservative, chalking compounds or flaking marine finishes in contact with harvested plants.
- c. Full containers transported in boats with or without motors should be separated from bilge water by floorboards, waterproof tarp (plastic, not oiled), or other means.
- d. Full containers transported in trucks or trailers should be separated from vehicle bed by tarps, boards or some other means.
- e. Full containers transported in open truck bed or trailer should be covered or closed to keep out airborne contaminates: dust, leaves, etc.
- f. Full containers should not be left in direct sun on warm, windless days to prevent the start of the decomposition process.
- g. Full containers should not be left in direct contact with any petroleum product containers any hazardous material containers.
- h. All contaminated product must be disposed of immediately unless surface contamination can quickly rinse off with salt water.
During the drying process, specific measures should be taken to protect certified product from contamination and to segregate certified from noncertified plants. For example with dulse, laver and other plants dried on nets:
- a. Weeds on drying grounds should be controlled by hand or by an OCIA approved material.
- b. Any net material should be either preservative free or have been weathered at least three years before use with sea vegetables.
- c. Nets should be clean and cleared of any remains of prior harvest before fresh harvest is spread.
- d. Mechanical shakers for dulse and laver cleaning should be free of remains of the prior day’s harvest.
- e. Motors that run shakers, either gas or electric, should be carefully separated from plants. A funnel should be used for refueling and fuel containers should be segregated.
- f. Extinguishing of cigarettes on or near spreading grounds should be prohibited.
- g. Driving over nets should be prohibited.
- h. Walking on dry dulse or laver should be prohibited.
- For example with kelp, alaria and other sea vegetables hung to dry:
- Floor or ground under kelp and alaria racks should be as dust and dirt free as possible.
- Sticks, clothespins, etc. used to hold drying plants should be clean,paint and preservative free, and cleared of prior harvest remains.
- Plants that drop during drying and hanging should be discarded or rinsed quickly before re-hanging.
- Outdoor drying area should be well upward of dirt roads or other sources of dust contaminants.
- Drift from roadside spraying or agricultural spray should be avoided
After drying, specific measures should be taken to protect certified product from contaminates and to segregate it from any non-certified products including:
- a. Plants should not be transported on tarps to storage and protected from floors and walls with tarps, cardboard, pallets or other clean materials.
- b. Storage before packing off in bulk containers should be in well-ventilated, dust free environments, no animals or birds allowed.
- c. All packing containers should be clean, dry and lined with food grade plastic or poly.
- d. During compression into boxes, plants should be protected from direct contact with feet or other means of compression other than hands.
- e. Plastic liner should completely surround packed plants before the cover is closed. Covers should be marked “organic” immediately with lot numbers.
- f. Storage of bulk boxes of organic product should be clearly marked and segregated from any other plants processed organically.
- g. Storage area should be clean, dry cool and rodent free.
- h. Moisture content of bulk packed plants should not be so high that molds could develop -- somewhere between 5-20% depending on the species.
Specific measures should be taken to insure certified plants are not contaminated during the packaging process including:
- a. If dried plants need more moisture before bagging, re-hydration should be done in a clean, ambient environment.
- b. The culling process should take place on a clean, washable surface in good light.
- c. Weighing scale pans should be stainless steel or other non-corroding washable material.
- d. All product handling and production hygiene should conform to state regulations
- e. Bags into which plants are placed should be new, of food grade material and provide a complete protective seal.
- f. Bags should be stored in clean, lightproof cases in a cool, dry area before shipment or sale.
- g. All bags, cases and master cases should be clearly marked “organic,”given a lot number and segregated from all non-certified products.
7. GRINDING PROCEDURES FOR CERTIFIED PRODUCT
Preparation, grinding and collection of ground plants should all be accomplished without introducing possible contaminates into certified material. Bagging and storage should clearly separate certified ground plants from any other ground material. For example:
- a. Non-ground certified plants should be carefully inspected for hidden shells, dried brine shrimp, sand, stones and any other visual contaminates before grinding.
- b. Mill interior, sifter interior and any connecting pipes should be checked periodically and cleaned at least seasonally for rust, dust, mold or other contaminates.
- c. If mill and/or sifter have been used for non-organic materials, the mill operator should develop a method of cleansing the system before processing organic material.
- d. Sifted material should be caught in clean containers that are covered once full.
- e. Final bagging should be in clean, moisture-proof, food grade containers that are clearly marked “organic,” given a lot number and stored apart from non-organic product.
Roasting and smoke should be carried out without exposing certified material to any sources of contamination and organic product must be clearly separated from non-organic at all times. For example:
- a. Roasting pans and oven should be clear of all possible contaminates as well as any prior non-certified production.
- b. Smoke racks and smokehouse should be clean of all possible contaminants as well any prior non-certified production.
- c. No other treatment than exposure to smoke of naturally occurring materials should be allowed.
- d. Careful culling out of all foreign material and any visual contaminates should precede the roasting and smoking process.
- e. Roasted and smoked certified products should be carefully stored in closed, moisture resistant, food grade containers marked “organic” and kept separate from non-organic product.
- Each processor should be inspected annually.
- Each processor should maintain accurate records tracking all certification products from harvest or purchase to final disposition.
- Each harvester who supplies processor may be inspected randomly by OCIA inspectors at their discretion.
- Each processor should obtain a questionnaire annually from each harvester.
A management questionnaire should be completed annually by harvesters to provide the following:
- a. Description of species to be harvested, including rough map of beds.
- b. History of harvesting activity for each species in territory/beds.
- c. Planned harvest for current season.
- d. Sources of possible pollution in territory (non-point and point).
- e. Means of separating out contaminates before, during and after harvest, including transport, drying, storage, boxing, etc.
- a. Support harvesters’ efforts to complete their Management Questionnaire and comply with OCIA.
- b. Facilitate inspections and certification.
- c. Pay seasonal visits to harvesters.
- d. Complete any required testing in a timely manner.
- Type and extent of testing, if any, should be determined by OCIA in consultation with harvesters and processors and conform to OCIA’s general standards.
- Any suspected contamination of product should require testing, which may include heavy metals, herbicide and pesticide screens, hydrocarbons, microbiological -- to be determined by the local certifier.
- Any voluntary testing by either harvesters or processors should be submitted to OCIA’s inspector and included in the annual management report.
- Efforts should be made by both harvesters and processors to minimize the need for testing by maximizing care in selection and handling of plants at all times.
