COVID-19 prevents organic certification for new natural ingredient producers
There is a growing demand for certified ingredients for natural health products. Traceability, sustainable sourcing and European quality requirements are becoming more important. But the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing new producers from getting certification. This is because it is difficult for certification agencies to visit them.
Industry feedback shows a growing interest in certification for natural ingredients for health products. This is especially true for superfood ingredients, such as baobab, moringa and turmeric. A European baobab buyer said, “No client would buy our product if it was not organically certified. Or if we could not show the certificate of analysis.” He also added, “Without certification, there is no market in the European Union.” A German turmeric importer said that organic certification is now an industry standard.
Increasing demand for certification
The demand for organic and other sustainability certification schemes is increasing. European buyers make this clear. European consumers are becoming more ethical. They are demanding high-quality, sustainable products. Importers of ingredients are looking for certified natural ingredients to meet consumer demand.
COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the certification and auditing process. Governments introduced lockdowns and emergency measures. This has made carrying out audits difficult. Producers looking to switch to organic and other certification schemes had to postpone their plans. It has also affected the health products, food and personal care industry in Europe. The supply of natural ingredients to European companies slowed down.
Expected increase in certification
As lockdowns end and emergency travel measures stop, we expect certifications to increase in certification. We also expect more producers in Africa, Asia and Latin America to follow organic and other related certification schemes. In the meantime, these producers should improve their production processes and product quality. European buyers are looking for certified products, and will not compromise on quality.
Reading tips
CBI provides information on exporting natural ingredients for health products to Europe. This includes studies about exporting:
Ecovia Intelligence wrote this news article for CBI.
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