The report discusses findings from a study designed to capture the experiences of USDA accredited certification organizations in implementing the National Organic Program (NOP) regulation. Data for this study were collected through formal interviews and an online survey of NOP accredited certification organizations. In the spring of 2013, the research team conducted interviews with 11 such organizations. These interviews helped researchers identify implementation challenges and successes, develop survey questions, and explore relationships between the certifiers and the Accredited Certifiers Association. Following the interviews, an online survey was sent to representatives at 88 accredited certification organizations. Forty three survey responses were received for a response rate of 48.9%.
