SCS Global Services Approved as Certification Body for U.S. Farmed Certification; Sandy Ledesma and Ryan Lauer Comment


Thu. June 13th, 2024 - by Anne Allen

EMERYVILLE, CA - SCS Global Services (SCS) is providing much-needed support to farmers in the United States, announcing it has been chosen as a certification body for the U.S. Farmed™ certification program. The impactful industry program aims to ensure at least 95 percent of a product's agricultural ingredients originate from United States farms and growers.

Sandy Ledesma, Sustainable Agriculture Program Manager, SCS Global Services

“We are thrilled to be approved to offer the U.S. Farmed Certification,” said Sandy Ledesma, SCS’ Sustainable Agriculture Program Manager. “This certification not only promotes the sourcing of high-quality ingredients from American farms but also provides essential support to farmers facing land preservation challenges.”

The certification is underpinned by a standard developed by SCS Standards, a subsidiary of SCS Global Services, for American Farmland Trust (AFT). As consumer demand for sustainably produced foods continues to grow, the U.S. Farmed certification empowers farmers to differentiate their produce in the marketplace and meet supply chain requirements for major food brands, SCS stated in a press release.

SCS Global Services (SCS) is providing much-needed support to U.S.-based farmers after announcing it has been chosen as a certification body for the U.S. Farmed™ certification program

The certification addresses critical challenges associated with diminished farmland integrity and demographic-level shifts away from legacy family farms. By achieving this certification, brands can connect farmers and producers in their supply chain to get support for succession planning for farmland protection, as well as other tactics to safeguard American agriculture.

Ryan Lauer, Director of Corporate Partnerships, American Farmland Trust

“We are proud to name SCS Global Services as the certification body for this new and important certification,” states Ryan Lauer, Director of Corporate Partnerships at American Farmland Trust. “SCS has 40 years of experience in food and agriculture auditing and certification making them the ideal partner for U.S. Farmed.”

To provide an efficient pathway for obtaining U.S. Farmed certification—along with other leading standards such as USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Sustainably Grown, GLOBALG.A.P., PrimusGFS, and SQF—SCS offers bundled certification services. This approach allows companies to streamline the certification process, saving time and resources while guaranteeing compliance across various credentials.

To learn more about the certification, click here.

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