Introduction
The Goal of the Organic Content Standard (OCS) is to ensure trust in organic content claims.
The purpose of the OCS Labeling and Claims Guide is to provide guidance for companies making claims about their use of certified OCS organic products. The intended users of the Guide are organizations providing auditing and certification services for the OCS (“Certification Bodies”), companies selling OCS Certified products to other companies (“Certified Organizations”), and retailers selling certified OCS Product.
This OCS Labeling and Claims Guide accompanies the Organic Content Standard, and is a required element of the standard. The certification requirements connected to the use of the standard are drawn from the Content Claim Standard (CCS) requirements to ensure full chain of custody for the input material. Updates to the OCS Labeling and Claims Guide and other relevant documents can be found online. Check the OCS website for more information: http://OrganicContent.org/.
What is an OCS claim?
An OCS claim is any statement that makes reference to the OCS. OCS claims may include any combination of logo use, text claims, and/or links to additional information that mention the OCS.
OCS claims fall under one or more of the following categories:
Product-specific claim: This type of claim indicates or implies that a specific product meets the requirements of the OCS. These claims may be made on or off the products. Examples of product-specific claims include hangtags with the OCS Logo, or reference to the OCS in the description of a product or group of products in a catalog, website or point of sale marketing.
General marketing claim: This type of claim indicates or implies that a company meets the requirements of the OCS, purchases OCS Certified products, or certifies in accordance with the OCS. Examples of general marketing claims include reference to the OCS on the CSR page of a website or in a general statement (that does not refer to a product) in a catalog or point of sale marketing.
Business-to-business (B2B) claim: This type of claim uses the OCS name or OCS Logo to identify semi-finished batches or lots directly, or on invoices or shipping documents.
Consumer-facing claim: This type of claim is directed at consumers. Examples of consumer-facing claims are hangtags, product descriptions in catalogs or websites, in-store displays, etc.
Any claim that makes reference to the OCS is considered a controlled claim and shall meet the requirements of this document.