ABSTRACT
According to Grande (2003) of IdentityPreserved.com,* for a successful identity preservation and traceability (IPT) program to exist, standards and veri cation of standards must be in place. Veri cation can take many forms and often extend to include laboratories (laboratories are discussed in Chapter 8). Although some veri - cation is accomplished “in house,” what is becoming much more important is the use of professional auditing rms to ensure compliance with IPT rules and regulations. Farms and rms use third-party auditors to prove compliance for numerous reasons, such as for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) certi cation and seal. More often than not this includes review of a farm or rm’s written IPT operating procedures or manual; review of the required documents that illustrate compliance, training records, and previous inspections; a walkthrough of the facility; and other requirements, which will depend upon what the purchaser requires, possibly included in a written contract and/or regulations and laws. Much of this introduction is condensed and modi ed from Grande’s 2003 presentation for the Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA, and the Farm Foundation.
