The “founding farmer” of “America’s original 100 percent grass-fed organic dairy” has stressed that there is room for yet another logo in the food industry. Last week, Organic Valley and Maple Hill announced the launch of a new, third-party certification in the US that sets the highest possible standards for organic dairy farming and products.

While Tim Joseph of Maple Hill admitted that the amount of logos already out there is an issue for consumer confusion, he feels there is space for a grass-fed logo. “For us, it is all about focus,” he tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “At Maple Hill our foundation is organic and 100 percent grass-fed. That’s all we do. So those are currently the only two certifications that we feature on our packaging. However, there certainly is a logo overload. Our perspective is that the certification logos that really matter to consumers will rise to the top. And we believe this new seal represents the pinnacle of organic dairy and consumers will trust brands who carry this seal.” 

He confirmed that all Maple Hill products will transition from their current grass-fed certification (Certified 100 percent Grass-Fed by PCO) to the new program.

The Certified Grass-Fed Organic Livestock Program and Certification Mark is administered by the Organic Plus Trust Inc.Grass-fed claims are trending, with Innova Market Insights reporting 29 percent average annual growth in food and beverage launches with a grass-fed claim (2014-2018). One-third of 2018 US food & beverage launches with a grass-fed claim were dairy products (see figure).

The Certified Grass-Fed Organic Livestock Program and Certification Mark is administered by the Organic Plus Trust Inc. (OPT). Voluntary and open to all, OPT is a public benefit entity created to advance organic agriculture, and create a universal definition and verification of grass-fed organic farming standards and products.. The inaugural products including the Certified Grass-Fed Organic Livestock Program official seal will debut at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California next week (March 5-9).

The certification program is claimed to bring much-needed consistency and transparency to grass-fed organic dairy standards for farmers, processors, manufacturers, certification bodies, retailers and consumers. Until now, the lack of federally-regulated grass-fed organic dairy standards allowed misleading labels to appear on the shelf, confusing consumers and frustrating the farming community. In order to protect the farmers who adhere to the strictest grass-fed production standards, Maple Hill and Organic Valley began working on the certification program in 2017. With the official launch, consumers will begin seeing the new seal on packaging in 2019, assuring the highest level of transparency by farmers and producers.

To be certified under the new OPT standard, dairy cows must be fed a grass diet, with zero-grain, and given plenty of pasture for grazing. The new Certified Grass-Fed Organic Livestock Program is built on the foundation of organic, meaning a farm must first be certified organic to participate in the program. The enhanced certification criteria requires that all animals receive 60 percent of their dry matter intake from pasture, over an at least 150-day grazing season (as opposed to 30 percent and 120 days per the National Organic Program standards).

According to the companies involved, the certification is unique from other grass-fed certifications in that it also requires a full supply chain verification to use the mark, which creates a much higher level of transparency. The farm and dairy processor are certified to ensure grass-fed milk is segregated and authentic all the way to the consumer dairy product. The 2019 program is administered by EarthClaims LLC for the OPT to ensure unbiased and transparent management and distribution of the certification mark, which is registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Grass fed claims are experiencing strong growth in the US.“From the beginning, it has been our desire to develop standards that are adopted by other legitimate 100 percent grass-fed organic brands. The new program will be available via organic certifiers across the US and can be adopted by any producer, manufacturer, or brand that meets the requirements of the standard,” says Joseph.

He stresses that for the company, it has always been about transparency and truth in labeling. “If a consumer buys a dairy product making a grass-fed claim it is important that the product is an authentic 100 percent grass-fed dairy product that comes from cows that eat only grass,” he notes. 

“That is not always the case today and there are many brands claiming to be grass-fed when they are not. We hope that over time, retailers and distributors will require verification of grass-fed claims from brands. Today’s consumers value full transparency and expect the brands they trust to be legitimate. We should not expect any less than 100 percent grass-fed than we do of certified organic, kosher, gluten-free, etc.,” says Joseph.