Food Alliance Farm & Ranch Certification Standards
Food Alliance standards provide a systematic measure of environmentally and socially responsible management practices for certified farms and ranches. Our standards measure the degree to which farm/ranch management adheres to each of the Food Alliance’s Guiding Principles as expressed in the fixed and scored standards outlined below. All fixed standards must be satisfied. They are
- No use of genetically modified seed varieties or livestock
breeds.
- No use of hormones or feed additive (nontherapeutic) antibiotics
in livestock production.
- Continual improvement of management and production practices.
- No use of high toxicity pesticides on the Prohibited Pesticide List
Scored Standards
In addition to meeting the fixed standards listed above, applicants are evaluated using both Whole Farm Evaluation Criteria and Product Specific Evaluation Criteria.
Whole Farm Standards
Whole farm standards include criteria in each of the four areas listed below. To become Food Alliance Certified, applicants must score an average of 3 out of 4, or 75%, in each of the following four areas:
- Safe & Fair Working Conditions
- Reducing Pesticide Usage
- Soil & Water Conservation
- Wildlife Habitat Conservation
To learn more, download our Whole Farm Evaluation Criteria and our Standards Background Document.
Product Specific Standards
Product specific standards focus on reducing pesticide usage and include the assessment of cultural practices and the management of pests unique to each crop. Product specific standards for livestock production focus on animal welfare. However, they also include assessment of some issues addressed in the previous sections (particularly soil and water conservation). Each crop/livestock product marketed as Food Alliance Certified must receive an average score of 3.0 (on a 4.0 rating scale) on their respective crop.
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