International Certification Services, Inc. (ICS) recently released a new Certified Gluten-Free food standard. Manufacturers and brands in both the organic and conventional markets may use this standard to label products in the market as Certified Gluten-Free.

Increasing numbers of consumers report a sensitivity to eating grain-based foods that contain gluten proteins, (from minor reactions to severe sensitivities that may be diagnosed as celiac disease), and wish to limit or eliminate their intake of them. ICS developed the Certified Gluten-Free Standard to help consumers make informed dietary choices that avoid gluten in the foods they purchase and consume.

“The new Certified Gluten-Free Standard is a convenient complement to our existing organic and sustainable certification services,” said Christina Dockter, ICS President and CEO. “ICS is now a one-stop solution for food manufacturers that market Certified Organic products in U.S. and international markets, and also want to differentiate their gluten-free products with a highly-credible certification. Clients and consumers can continue to depend on ICS’ high level of integrity and veracity in this new certification standard, just as in the other certifications we offer.”

Compliance with the ICS Certified Gluten-Free Standard is based on a combination of quantitative analysis of the ingredients and products being marketed as Certified Gluten-Free, along with required management practices aimed at minimizing the introduction of gluten proteins in the production stream.

The ICS Gluten Free Standard also includes guidelines and requirements on the kinds of labeling and marketing claims that may be made on Certified Gluten-Free products. This combination of verification of practices, analytical testing, and labeling guidelines creates a powerful regime to give purchasers of Certified Gluten-Free products a high level of confidence.

Learn more about the ICS Certified Gluten-Free Standard.

International Certification Services, Inc. (ICS), a leading provider of organic and sustainable certification services to agricultural operations and the food industry announced today it has sold controlling interest to Integrated Management Information, Inc. (IMI Global) (OTCBB: INMG), a leading provider of verification and Internet solutions for the agricultural/livestock industry under the Where Food Comes From® brand.

“This transaction has tremendous synergies for both IMI Global and ICS,” said John Saunders, CEO of IMI Global.  “As industry leaders in our respective product and service offerings, we are now positioned to offer one another’s customers new solutions across the verification and certification spectrum.  And in addition to better serving our customers, we expect this transaction to accelerate our revenue growth and to be accretive to earnings.”

Leann Saunders, president of IMI Global, added, “The addition of a premium organic certification to our solutions portfolio gives us the ability to make an immediate impact with many of our customers that seek an organic solution in addition to our other verification services – particularly our retail customers who have organic offerings in their meat and produce departments.”

ICS, the nation’s premier provider of organic certification services, has a strong reputation and a large and growing customer base that includes food retailers as well as producers and processors of fruits, vegetables, dairy, livestock, grain and honey.  The Company’s flagship certification program is Farm Verified Organic® – an ISO 65 and IFOAM accredited program that meets the requirements of the USDA National Organic Program – that is designed for organic producers selling to U.S. and international markets.  ICS also offers USDA National Organic Program, Canadian Organic Regime (COR) and Food Alliance sustainability certification as well as facilitation and compliancy of European Union, Japan and Bio Suisse standards.  It is estimated that the total organic market segment in the U.S. and E.U. is more than $50 billion annually.

“We are excited about our new relationship with IMI Global and the benefits this transaction will bring to our customer base in the form of IMI Global’s Where Food Comes From suite of solutions,” said Christina Dockter, president and CEO of ICS.  “Together we offer an unparalleled array of quality solutions which will benefit thousands of producer, processer and retail customers and ultimately the millions of consumers who are increasingly demanding more information about where their food comes from. We want to stress this transaction will be seamless to ICS customers, who will continue to work directly with existing ICS personnel and will not be subject to any changes in organic standards.”

ICS’ programs will be incorporated into IMI Global’s Where Food Comes From® labeling program, which uses USDA Process Verified Programs (PVP) to connect consumers with the food supply chain at the point of purchase, providing an unprecedented level of transparency.  Specifically, consumers using a smart phone can scan the quick response code on product labels to access information about the product’s origins and verify a range of product claims – soon to include organic – and provide consumers with an added level of confidence in a product’s attributes.  For more information, go to www.wherefoodcomesfrom.com.

About International Certification Services (ICS)
Founded in 1979, International Certification Services is one of the oldest organic food and agriculture certifiers in the United States. ICS' private organic certification standard, Farm Verified Organic (FVO) is an early predecessor of the USDA National Organic Program. FVO certification meets the requirements of the USDA and international requirements for ISO 65 accreditation. FVO is also part of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements’ (IFOAM) internationally recognized IFOAM Family of Standards. ICS is the only IFOAM accredited certifier in North America. ICS conducts certification inspections for a full range of agricultural and food businesses including family farms, cottage industry, commercial farms, cooperatives, retailers, processors/manufacturers, contract services, auxiliary handlers, and international operations.

About IMI Global
Founded in 1995, Integrated Management Information (d.b.a. IMI Global) is a USDA Process Verified (PVP) company and is a leading provider of verification and Internet solutions for the agriculture industry.  Go to www.IMIGlobal.com and www.wherefoodcomesfrom.com for additional information.  IMI has worked with some of the largest agricultural organizations in the United States, providing web-based applications for verification and identification as well as a range of consulting services tailored to meet each customer’s needs.

John Hollinger 
MAFRI Organic Agriculture Specialist

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito-vectored disease which can be serious and sometimes fatal. Humans can become infected with the virus if they are bitten by mosquitoes that have previously bitten an infected bird.  Most mosquito species do not pose a significant risk of transmitting WNV. The main vector of the virus in Manitoba is the adult Culex tarsalis mosquito, which takes blood from either birds or mammals.  Fortunately, C. tarsalis mosquitoes occur in much smaller numbers than many of the other commonly occurring nuisance mosquito species found in Manitoba. Adult mosquito traps around the province have been indicating low numbers of C. tarsalis up to mid-July. 

In most cases, people who are bitten by an infected mosquito do not become ill. Of those who do become ill, most will experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and body aches. In Manitoba, the risk of people contracting WNV is low (less than one in 10,000). 

Manitoba Health is responsible for coordinating the activities of the WNV program in Manitoba, the goal of which is to assess risk and take appropriate measures to limit the negative impact to human health. They are also aware of the impact that control programs may have on the organic and beekeeping industries.

Larviciding is generally considered the first option in mosquito control intervention.  A Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) product is normally used for larviciding in the early part of the season. Adulticiding is the second option in mosquito control, where a synthetic insecticide is used to control the adult stage of the mosquito. This is an issue of concern for organic producers.

Municipalities normally have the choice of whether to undertake mosquito control measures or not. Many will comply with buffer zones around organic properties if notified well in advance of spraying for nuisance mosquitoes, including the City of Winnipeg. However, if public health is threatened, a Health Order can be issued by the province for control measures in certain areas targeted at C. tarsalis. In this case, buffer zones will not be considered. At the present time, Manitoba Health has stated that only ground applications (usually from roads) will be used in 2011 and that aerial applications are not planned. The fogging applicator disperses a treatment for about 90 metres. 

Be aware, be informed!
All organic producers are urged to be aware of any adulticiding activities in their areas. Keep in close contact with your municipal office. Some RM offices maintain a contact list of organic and bee producers. Adulticiding depends on trap counts and is often done on very short notice. Generally, control measures will occur within town limits of larger communities (population of 1000 or higher) and up to about 3 km beyond, but if the mosquito numbers warrant, virtually any community may be applied with adulticide. 

Remember that a minimum buffer of 25 feet (8 metres) is required between an organic field and an area treated with a synthetic pesticide. Any production from that area is considered conventional for a full three years. Hopefully the mosquito spraying won’t affect anyone in this manner, but organic producers must be aware of the consequences if it does happen. Manitoba Health is concerned with the risks of WNV to human health, so they are prepared to do whatever is best for “the common good”, but in the past they have made efforts to reduce the potential impact that control measures would have on organic and bee operations.

Contacts:

• For more information about Manitoba’s WNV program, visit the Manitoba Health website at   http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/wnv/   or phone 204-788-6795.
  
• Health Links at 204-788-8200 or toll-free 1-888-315-9257 also has good WNV information.
  
• City of Winnipeg BUGLINE at 311 (Wpg. area) or toll-free 1-877-311-4974  http://winnipeg.ca/cms/bugline/    

Contact the Bugline if you have any part of your operation in the City of Winnipeg limits and up to 12 km beyond. Buffers for organic operations may be considered when the control of nuisance mosquitoes is involved.

In the spring newsletter, ICS indicated we would allow the use of OMRI and WSDA inputs for the NOP program. As we approach the growing season and are receiving input requests, we are finding some inputs submitted have an OMRI or WSDA approval logo on the label however they are actually NOT OMRI or WSDA approved. 

When considering an OMRI or WSDA approved input, you can visit OMRI or WSDA’s websites to verify the input planned for purchase is actually approved. Ensure the name on the label matches exactly the name on the certificate or website. When specific restrictions are identified on OMRI or WSDA input reviews, these restrictions must be followed. If unsure of the approval status, send the label directly to ICS to review.

The websites are:
OMRI: www.omri.org
WSDA: www.agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/Organic/MaterialsLists.aspx

If the information on the label is not the same as on the website or certificate, the label must be submitted to ICS for verification before use.

Also ensure a copy of the label is included in the production plan. The input MUST be reviewed and approved prior to use. Please keep in mind using an input which is not approved or not being used for the approved method, can jeopardize your certification status.

Reminder: If you are requesting FVO/IFOAM, EU, COR or JAS all labels MUST be submitted for review and approval prior to use.

Please contact your Customer Care Specialist if you have any questions.