Food producers follow important safety rules that protect consumers from illness, yet many organic farmers face insurmountable financial barriers and obstacles in meeting food safety requirements and the USDA National Organic Program standards.

These regulatory requirements often contradict other crucial organic farming principles, and because of this, compliance with food safety regulations is one of the greatest challenges facing organic farming today, creating hardships for farmers to maintain their organic certification. According to a USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 2019 Organic Survey, regulatory problems were identified as the most significant challenge for farmers.  

The goal of this project is to reduce the burden of compliance with multiple regulations by equipping organic farmers and industry stakeholders with cost-effective and organic-compliant solutions for wildlife intrusion, microbial field testing and sanitizers, and practical policies that empower growers to comply with important food safety best practices and retain their organic certification.