Case Study

Accreditation supports organic food production in Ecuador

The Ecuadorian Agency for Agro Quality Assurance – AGROCALIDAD regulates the actors in the chain of organic production in the country through “General Regulations to Promote and Regulate Organic – Ecological – Biological Production in Ecuador “, issued by means of Ministerial Agreement No. 299 published in the official register No. 34 on July 11, 2013.

This regulation establishes that organic product certification must be made by conformity assessment bodies legally constituted in the country, which have been accredited by the Ecuadorian Accreditation Service –  SAE with ISO / IEC 17065 standard and registration with the Ecuadorian Agency for Agro Quality Assurance -AGROCALIDAD.

Thus, with the support of accreditation in Ecuador, AGROCALIDAD monitors the technical and administrative performance of certification bodies for organic products, its inspectors and certified producers, to ensure the condition and organic status of the products produced, processed and marketed  in the local market and for export with the organic denomination.

An introduction to the agency’s policy on organic food production can be viewed on the Agrocalidad website.

More detailed policy information can be downloaded here.