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Country Content Sections/Tabs

Country Content Sections/Tabs

Policy Information

Policy Information

Government Agency(s) / Competent Authority

Authorized Government Agency(s):

The Department of Accreditation and Registry in Organic Agriculture (DARAO) at the direction of Plant Protection of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is in charged of legislation implementation

The National Organic Agriculture Program (PNAO) from the Ministry of Agriculture is in charge of the commercialization of organic products.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock's Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado (SFE) handles registration of organic certifiers, farms, and others.

Agency(s) Contact Information:

PNAO:
Phone: 506-2260-8300 ext 2032
Fax: 506-2260-8300 ext 2088
Email: mcastro@protecnet.go.cr or fecheverria@protecnet.go.cr
Web

SFE
Contact: Blanca Castillo
Email: bcastillo@sfe.go.cr
Phone: 506-2549-3547
Web

DARAO
Phone: 506-2260-8300
Email: webmaster@protecnet.go.cr

Organic Regulations and/or Standards

Name(s) of Regulation and/or Standard:

Organic Agriculture Regulation Decree No. 29782 - 2001 (in Spanish) modifies No. 25834 of 1997 and 29067 of 2000.
Implementing regulations, passed in 2009: Reglamento para la ejecución e implementación de la ley para el desarrollo, promoción y fomento de la actividad agropecuaria orgánica, No. 8591

Also:
- Environmental Law No. 7554 - 1995/ (Promotion, research and control)
- Phytosanitary Protection Law No. 7664 - 1997 and its Regulation No. 26921-1997 (administrative and legal competence)

Date of Implementation: 1997

Regulation and/or Standard Scope:

The production, characterization, processing, packaging, marketing, identification and certification of organic agricultural products, as well as research and extension aspects, should be subject to relevant legislation and the provisions of the regulation.

Imported Products

A Guide for Labeling Organic Products (in Spanish) is available from the PNAO.

Certification and Accreditation

Certification:

Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado (SFE) maintains a list of accredited certifiers.

Accreditation:

Certification organizations, inspectors, farms and suppliers must register with the Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado (SFE).

Additional Information

Reference Standards:

The national control system has been recognized as equivalent by the European Union in 2003, which means that Costa Rica has a third country status according to EU 834/2007 and 889/2008 in the European Union.

Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, plus Panama and the Dominican Republic are benchmarking their standards to a regional organic standard - the Central America Regional Standard. August 2016 these regional standards were put before the World Trade Organization for comment.

Additional Information:

Costa Rica has an Equivalence Agreement with Canada.

USDA's GAIN Report Costa Rica Food Service - Hotel Restaurant Institutional (2023)
USDA's GAIN Report Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Annual Country Report (2022)
USDA's GAIN Report Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Export Certificate Report (2022)
USDA's GAIN Report Costa Rica Exporter Guide (2022)
USDA's GAIN Report Costa Rica Food Processing Ingredients (2022)
USDA's GAIN Report Costa Rica Retail Foods Report (2022)

Definitions

Definitions

Term

Definition

Health and Wellness

Health and wellness is the aggregation of organic packaged food and beverages, fortified/functional packaged food and beverages, naturally healthy packaged food and beverages, better for you packaged food and beverages and food intolerance products.

Organic packaged foods and beverages

This category includes packaged food & beverages that are certified organic by an approved certification body. Organic production is based on:

• A system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers.
• Organic food & beverages are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation.
• The use of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism) is prohibited. “Certified Organic” means the item has been grown according to strict uniform standards that are verified by independent state or private organizations.
• Depending on the country, such products are called ‘organic’, ‘biological’ or ‘ecological’: For organic products to be included under Euromonitor definitions, the organic aspect needs to form part of positioning/marketing of the product. This is an aggregation of organic baby food, bakery, confectionery, dairy, ice cream, oils and fats, ready meals, rice, sauces, dressings and condiments, snack bars, soups, spreads, sweet and savory snacks and other organic food.

Note that fresh food products or individual ingredients are not included in this definition.

Compound annual growth rate (CAGR)

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is the average annual growth rate over a specified period of time. For instance, the CAGR consumption of from 2018 – 2021 will be the average growth rates across these three years.

USDA GATS data clarification

The data presented in table 2.4 represents the dollar values of the top 5 organic commodities as well as of the total organic exports of the trade partner for the period 2018-2021 as per the United States Department of Agriculture’s Global Agricultural Trade System, a database consisting of international agricultural, fish, forest and textile products trade statistics dating from the inception of the Harmonized coding system in 1989 to present.

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How to use this website

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) brings the US organic industry to developing markets around the world. This database is a comprehensive tool for OTA membership interested in participating in or expanding international trade in organic products by providing information to understand international markets for organic products. Select the country you wish to export to and find out whether it has an agreement with the United States, who its certifiers are, and much more.

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