Insects are one of the most important protein sources of the future and at the same time conserve other natural resources. In addition to direct human consumption, they offer a valuable alternative source of protein, especially in animal feed, and also make a pioneering contribution to sustainable feeding. This is precisely the aim of Naturland's standards for organic insect breeding.

What we stand for

Ensuring that Naturland quality standards are maintained on our farms and during product certification is our top priority. To facilitate this, we rely on various quality assurance instruments at all stages of the acceptance process.

Our producers and processors commit to adhering to the Naturland standards at all times. They are regularly inspected (at least once per year) by independent, government-approved, competent, third-party inspection bodies. In addition to these pre-announced inspections, they are also subject to unannounced spot checks based on the perceived risks.

In Germany, Naturland works predominantly with the following prestigious inspection bodies:

• Gesellschaft für Ressourcenschutz mbH GfRS
• Lacon GmbH
• ÖkoP-Zertifizierungs GmbH
• QAL GmbH - Gesellschaft für Qualitätssicherung in der Agrar- und Lebensmittelwirtschaft

Worldwide, we work with over 60 recognised inspection bodies.

Each year, Naturland provides the inspection bodies with the latest inspection documents and specific codes of practice on implementing the inspections in complex areas such as producer groups, animal welfare and Naturland social standards.

The training we provide to all inspection personnel at the inspection bodies ensures that Naturland inspections are executed competently.

Around the world, our farm inspections are carried out by independent, accredited inspection bodies. Our quality assurance department ensures that the inspectors in charge are given the best possible training on a regular basis. This involves detailed communication on the Naturland requirements to be inspected, an introduction to and explanation of the check lists, and an overview of any guideline updates and planned focal points for upcoming annual inspections.

The training is delivered in various formats: classroom seminars, online modules and webinars, individual telephone conversations and mock inspections on-farm. We make a particular effort to provide detailed digital training documents that can be accessed by inspectors anywhere, any time.

After their training as been successfully completed, each inspector receives a training certificate qualifying them to inspect Naturland farms.  A new training certificate must be earned at regular intervals to continuously ensure the competency of the inspector. The inspection results are recorded in writing inspection reports that the inspection bodies forward to us.

Inspector training in Graefelfing by Naturland staff. ©Naturland

What we stand for

Our certification committee is responsible for making certification decisions and therefore decides whether a farmer or company is entitled to sell his/her/its products in association with Naturland. In accordance with our charter, it is an independent committee consisting of up to 20 elected members from different areas including science and research, production, processing and consumer protection. This should ensure that a range of professional and social fields are represented in addition to the required expert knowledge on organic farming and processing. It means that all Naturland's key stakeholders are involved in certification decisions.

The certification committee bases its decisions on the results of the inspection report. They carefully assess the inspection reports and evaluate the inspection results. In the event of a guideline violation, sanctions are imposed in accordance with Naturland's catalogue of sanctions. These range from a notice of warning through to logo withdrawal and exclusion from the scheme in the case of serious violations. Our farms receive a new Naturland certificate each year. In general, a farm can be Naturland-certified with or without being a member of Naturland e.V.

Processing companies that process Naturland-certified raw materials and require their suppliers to provide relevant evidence of Naturland quality may also apply to receive confirmation to that effect from us.

A list of all currently certified Naturland farms is available on our website here and at www.bioc.info (only German farms/partners).

The entire inspection and certification process from application submissions and inspections through to certifications and certificate issuance is handled using an ultra-modern software platform (Intact platform) to ensure data and information security and full transparency across all our processes at all times.

This enables us to electronically record the entire inspection and certification process transparently and in real time from start to finish. The results of farm and processor inspections are recorded digitally. This enables the duration of the inspection process to be reduced and any necessary measures in the event of a violation to be quickly initiated across all stages. As a result, our quality assurance scheme is more efficient, which is crucial for achieving greater acceptance and assurance at all stages of the certification process.

The aim of animal nutrition is to provide animals with the right amount of energy, nutrients and minerals based on their needs, and to promote their health, wellbeing and performance. The composition of an animal's food varies depending on the species. Individual factors such as the age and nutritional status of the animals also play an important role.

It's no wonder, then, that animal nutrition is such a complex topic. To ensure that feed is well utilised, it needs to be produced from high-quality raw materials that are also residue-free, safe and nutritious. To ensure this is the case, Naturland has its own quality assurance standard that goes above and beyond the requirements of the EU regulation on organic products, which it starts applying at the source of the raw materials.

At Naturland, a farm's home-grown fodder forms the basis of its animal nutrition. At least 50 percent of a farm's feed must be produced by the farm itself or be procured from a Naturland-approved farm cooperative. Our production standards regulate specific requirements for each animal species to support this. Our feed processing guideline also serves as a foundation for our certified feed partners to produce high-quality feed.

Third-party feed must be certified by Naturland and/or meet Naturland's QA requirements. Provided there is an adequate supply in terms of quality and/or quality, Naturland favours home-grown or locally sourced feed over imported feed. Due to the strong demand for Naturland products and the huge challenge of providing a sufficient quantity of raw materials at the ideal level of quality, we have developed a series of specifications for purchasing EU organic raw materials from non-Naturland organic farms in Germany and abroad. The aim is to guarantee the traceability of EU organic raw materials right back to the farm that produced them and to ensure their production quality. As such, as well as examining the food supply chain in detail, we also consistently examine the animal feed that is used. After all, what we feed to our animals ultimately ends up on the consumer's plate. We apply various quality assurance measures as part of this process:

If a farm wishes to use non-Naturland goods, it must first put forward a request. The goods then undergo a conformity assessment, which varies in scope depending on the raw material. The most challenging feeds to assess are oilseed press cakes. They are a by-product of processing oilseed into vegetable oil and are a popular feed component due to their high protein and fat content. 

In view of the specific climate conditions required to optimally produce certain raw materials for animal feed, press cakes are also purchased from abroad. This means that raw materials purchased from a local oil mill can be traced across the continent and end up on all kinds of farms in a foreign country.

Mapping out these supply chains, critically analysing and evaluating them and continuing to increase and improve the availability of the desired quality of raw materials used for feed is just one of the feed QA team's many tasks.

What we stand for

Ensuring that the Naturland requirements are implemented on our farms and during product certification is our top priority. To facilitate this, we rely on a range of different QA instruments at all stages of the acceptance process. The aim of all our quality assurance measures is to consistently guarantee the highest level of quality, transparency and therefore safety for consumers in our Naturland products, and to make all the raw materials in all of our products traceable right back to their origins. In doing so, we make a point of regularly examining our existing processes and continuously improving them.

Our key instruments for quality assurance are as follows:

We examine each new farm to ensure it can meet all the Naturland requirements before initial certification. We also visit farms on a regular basis, and in many countries the farmers have access to local contacts who can visit them on farm within a short time frame. We are committed to providing our producers with the appropriate level of professional advice on how to implement and adhere to the Naturland standards through recognised experts.

Each Naturland farm is inspected at least once a year to ensure all the Naturland standards and requirements are being implemented on site. In addition to a main inspection once a year, regular, unannounced spot checks and targeted, farm-specific inspections are carried out depending on the perceived risk.

Naturland works closely with competent, government-approved inspection bodies worldwide. The inspection bodies we engage are regularly trained and evaluated for their performance. The inspections are carried out in close consultation with us.

We handle the entire inspection and certification process from application submissions and inspections through to certifications and certificate issuance using ultra-modern software (Intact platform) to ensure data and information security and full transparency across all our processes at all times.

To facilitate the inspection and certification of producer groups, Naturland implements its own stringent requirements with regard to their structure and internal controls.

What we stand for

We prioritise sensitive areas with a greater need for quality assurance, such as raw materials authorisation for animal and human consumption, implementation of animal welfare measures, transportation, slaughter and social responsibility and ensure they are regulated and implemented using stringent processes.

In certain key areas, Naturland stipulates how any potential contamination should be handled and sets exposure limits accordingly. Farms must provide evidence of their compliance with these exposure limits through appropriate testing. We also conduct our own tests in suspected cases.

We support our farms by providing additional information on how to correctly implement the Naturland requirements. For example, we have a Naturland supplies list, which is easily accessible to our farmers via the homepage. It lists specific products for activities such as fertilisation, plant protection, plant strengthening, cleaning and disinfection, as well as feeding, to ensure that only authorised supplies are used.

We specify each process in writing in our Naturland Quality Assurance Manual. We regularly verify that our internal processes are being implemented and continuously improve them with the help of experts.

Naturland is actively engaged in continuous dialogue with a wide range of associations and organisations with the aim of standardising, expanding and improving its requirements and processes in areas such as animal welfare, transportation, slaughter and traceability.

We compile our own set of standards and continually expand and improve them. We set our requirements above the legal minimums set out by the EU regulation on organic production and include requirements for areas that are not yet covered by the EU regulation, such as social responsibility.

© Header Image: GAS-photo/Shutterstock.com

Our standards are based on the principles of sustainable management. Organic farming in line with our Naturland Standards means to practice nature, climate and biodiversity protection. It means to preserve and maintain soils, air and water resources, as well as to ensure consumer protection.

The Naturland standards existed long before the first statutory regulations on organic farming were introduced by the EU. And we still create a significant impetus today by continuously developing the Naturland standards.

The Naturland standards go far beyond the legal minimum requirements for organic production in the EU. Some of our standards are not yet governed by the EU organic regulation at all, such as the standards on social responsibility, sustainable capture-fishery, insect breeding or organic forest management.

The Naturland standards are regularly updated, expanded and improved. All changes are scrutinised and discussed in detail and must be officially enacted by the Naturland decision-making body of the Assembly of Delegates.

All Naturland-certified farms and processors must provide evidence of an annual inspection for compliance with the Naturland requirements. This ensures the Naturland requirements are applied consistently to all Naturland farms worldwide.

What we stand for

Naturland's standards also cover areas which are not regulated in the EC regulation on organic production, such as the organic use of forests, the production of textiles and cosmetics, or social aspects via the social standards.

Here you can quickly and clearly find out about the most important differences between Naturland's standards and the requirements of the EC regulation on organic production:

© Header Image: zabanski/stock.adobe.de

The Naturland standards for sustainable fisheries focus on the careful use of fish stocks and the entire ecosystem, the renunciation of critical and environmentally damaging fishing methods, compliance with social standards for fishermen and employees in fish processing, organic processing and a publicly visible, transparent recognition procedure for all parts of the value chain.

What we stand for