Since 2001 IMO initiated and implemented together with the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO; OSEC) a project for development of organic wild collection in the Balkan region. During this long-term and unique project aiming to support monitoring and traceability along the complete supply chain, IMO proved its system and quality approach under difficult circumstances.
In this context basic tools were developed to improve internal structures and monitoring systems. At the same time a manual for organic wild collection was compiled. This important tool applies to operators and contains all general requirements for organic wild collection as set in the European Regulation (EC) N° 834/2007 and (EC) N° 889/2008, the US Standard NOP or the Swiss private label “Bio-Suisse”. In addition training courses for collectors and inspectors were created to make them aware of organic collection methods.

Organic certification to gain access to high quality markets
Trade in “organic” wild products is becoming more and more important, not only within the food sector but also in the personal health care and the medicinal herb sectors. For products certified organic, producers can, therefore, expect either a higher price, improved market access or both.

Organic certification to enhance sustainability
Sustainability is a long-term concept that requires producers to look into the future as much as to the present. For generations, many societies have harvested from the wild at a sustainable level, but changes in these societies resulting from population growth, conversion of land to agriculture as well as for the global popularity of herbal products today, are leading to higher levels of harvesting that not only threaten species’ survival but also local livelihoods. Organic certification has to its aim that the collection of wild crops does not endanger the ecosystem and that the collected populations endure despite harvesting.

Organic certification for safety and quality control
One important aspect of organic certification is the implementation of a traceability system which allows to track a product from its collection area to the finished product. In this way, it is guaranteed that the organic quality of the product is maintained. In addition, traceability is crucial for food safety and quality: the better and more precise the tracing system, the faster a producer can identify and resolve food safety or quality problems.

Plant products which are grown in the wild can be certified as organic. But not every plant collected in its natural habitat can be considered as organic. The following basic principles need to be applied:

• Only Naturally Grown Plants (without any agricultural measures)
• Clearly Defined Collection Area (The Certification applies to plants grown in an approved area. The area itself is not certified.)
• Clean Collection Area: No un-allowed inputs and potential sources of contamination in the collection area
• Sustainable Collection: Collection must not threaten the stability of the plant population or the ecosystem
• Full Traceability: All activities from the collection area to the sale of the products need to be documented in detail

The regulation about organic wild collection is very vague. Thus, the efficiency of certification is highly dependent on the responsibility of the certification body. Long-term effects can only be assured by choosing a high quality certification body.