You can complete the Pre-Application Form and submit it us by mail, email or fax. It is used to request specific application instructions and forms for your product type. If you are interested in applying for the first time, please read this page.

No. Products approved by OMRI are not eligible to use the USDA Certified Organic Seal or make claims that they are certified organic.

The reason lays in a basic understanding of two different types of certification offered in the organic industry. The first type is for the foods, fibers, and feeds. These products are eligible to be call "Certified Organic" and carry the USDA's seal for organic products. The second type is for the products used to grow or produce organic foods, feed, or fibers. They include substances such as fertilizers, pesticides, and other materials used on the farm or in the food processing facility. They are not eligible to carry the USDA seal or be called "certified organic." These types of products are either allowed or not allowed for use in organic agriculture or food processing.

Because the job of determining whether the inputs are allowed can be a tough one, OMRI has dedicated itself to the task exclusively. This means that OMRI reviews and approves material inputs to organic agriculture to determine whether they are allowed under US organic rules. If they are, then OMRI assists with the promotion of those inputs by licensing our seal of approval, OMRI Listed, and includes them in our directory viewed and trusted by thousands of organic farmers and gardeners throughout North America.

OMRI is unique. Although we are a certifier, we are not an organic food/fiber/feed certifier. Therefore, we are not eligible for accreditation by the USDA. Instead, OMRI has recently achieved ISO accreditation. The audit and accreditation was coincidentally done by the USDA (actually the Audit, Review and Compliance Division). USDA auditors confirmed that OMRI solely uses the National Organic Program Rule. See this recent press release.

However, while ineligible for USDA organic certifier accreditation, the National Organic Program has recently acknowledged our vital role. A March 5th memo published on the NOP website explains this to the accredited certifiers and the public.