Organizational Updates

Herbs & Spices Program: Joint Rainforest Alliance and UEBT Certification

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Herbs & spices are used in a variety of foods, beverages, and flavorings and provide important income to farmers around the world. The Rainforest Alliance and the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) developed a joint Herbs & Spices Program. All ingredients certified under this new program will be able to carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal.

With this partnership, we build on the positive track record of the UEBT/UTZ cooperation in herbal tea, the decades-long experience of the Rainforest Alliance and UTZ in sustainable agriculture certification, and UEBT’s expert knowledge of ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity, including crops collected from the wild.

Program scope

The UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Program brings together the UEBT/UTZ Herbal Tea Program along with the UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certification programs for herbs, spices, rooibos, and vanilla. The UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Program applies to:

  • All ingredients for herbal and fruit infusions, including rooibos
  • Other herbs & spices, including vanilla, chili, or pepper
  • All wild collected crops, for which the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard would apply, in case they were cultivated. 

What standards apply to you

In the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices program, the following standards apply to farms and supply chain actors:

Certification and auditing rules

The rules for certification and audits against the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements are described in the Requirements for Certificate Holders, either for Certificate Holders not located in sourcing areas or for farms and local companies. 

For Herbs and Spices certified against the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Standard, the Rainforest Alliance Certification and Auditing rules apply.  

Labeling and claims opportunities

All ingredients certified under the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Program are able to carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal and/or be linked to the Rainforest Alliance certification claims. For labeling and claims, the Rainforest Alliance Labeling and Trademarks Policy.  

Royalties

In July 2021, a participation royalty was announced for all herbs, spices, rooibos and other herbal tea ingredients. From October 1, 2022, the new royalty for vanilla and saffron became $ 1,250 per MT cured vanilla beans or dried saffron. For key herbs and spices (pepper, cinnamon, chili pepper, oregano, coriander, paprika, cardamom, dill, clove, parsley, nutmeg, thyme, laurel/bay leaf, rosemary, tarragon), the royalty became $75 per MT dried crop. For all other herbs, spices and herbal tea, the royalty fee of €22.50 per MT still applies.   

The Rainforest Alliance will be invoicing the royalty once in the supply chain at the level of the first buyer after the Rainforest Alliance farm certificate holder for all herbs, spices and herbal tea volumes that enter the Rainforest Alliance traceability system. This is independent of whether the crops originate from a UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certified or a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm. There are no additional volume-based royalties charged by UEBT. 

Traceability 

Online traceability is now available in our traceability platform MultiTrace for herbs, spices, rooibos and other herbal tea ingredients. Both UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certified, and Rainforest Alliance Certified farm and supply chain certificate holders who are part of this platform are able to trade their certified volumes.  

We are now allowing mass balance for selected herbs and spices. Mass balance is a sourcing method that allows for certified and non-certified ingredients to become physically mixed during the shipping, processing and manufacturing processes, while administrative traceability must be maintained. Since 1st October 2022 mass balance traceability is available for all herbs, spices and herbal tea ingredients that are individually traced in the RA traceability platform, in addition to segregation and identity preserved. These crops are: Dill, Cardamom, Ceylon Cinnamon, Chili Pepper, Clove, Coriander, Laurel / Bay Leaf, Nutmeg, Oregano, Paprika, Parsley, Pepper, Rooibos, Rosemary, Saffron, Tarragon, Thyme and Vanilla. 

For all other herbs, spices and herbal tea ingredient, that are grouped as ‘other herbs and spices’ in the Rainforest Alliance traceability platform, mass balance is not available; they need to be traced as segregated or identity preserved.  

Your next steps and contacts 

If your farm is audited against the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements, you will need to contact UEBT at certification@uebt.org as soon as possible. 

If you are a farm or a supply chain actor that needs to be audited against the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Standard, you will need to register online with the Rainforest Alliance. Contact us at herbsandspices@ra.org in case of questions. 

Frequently Asked Questions

My farm is Rainforest Alliance (or UTZ) Certified and I grow coffee/coffee/tea/fruit as well as herbs or spices on the same farm. What standard would my farm be audited against?

  • For farms that are cultivating herbs, spices, rooibos or other herbal tea ingredients together with coffee, cocoa, tea, fruit, nuts, flowers, vegetables or palm oil, and that wish to use the Rainforest Alliance trademarks and claims for these crops, certification against the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Standard applies. This certification covers all crops cultivated on the farm, including herbs, spices, rooibos and other herbal tea ingredients. Please note, that this excludes wild collection, for which an additional certification against the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements is always required in order to use the Rainforest Alliance trademark and claims.

If farmers do not wish to use the Rainforest Alliance trademarks and claims for the coffee, cocoa, tea, fruits, nuts, flowers, vegetables or palm oil they are cultivating, UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements apply. This UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certification will cover all herbs, spices, rooibos and other herbal tea ingredients cultivated on the farm (but no other crops). It will also cover wild collection.

  • Farms that are cultivating chili or pepper (piper nigrum) without any other Rainforest Alliance Certified crop (such as coffee, cocoa, tea, fruit, flowers, nuts, vegetables, or palm oil) may choose between certification against the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements or against the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Standard.

If the certificate holder choses UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certification, the certificate will cover chili and pepper as well as all other herbs, spices, rooibos and herbal tea ingredients, both cultivated and collected from the wild.

If the certificate holder choses the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program, the certificate will cover all crops cultivated on the farm, but no wild collection. For wild collection, a UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certification is always required.

 

Would I need to change the Certification Body I currently use?

UEBT recognizes Certification Bodies (auditors) that Rainforest Alliance works with, so a change would not necessarily be required. For up to 12 months, we will be training a range of stakeholders including certification bodies in the new requirements. It will be important to reach out to your Certification Body well before your audit to find out if they are able to assist you again.

We produce or supply herbs or spices and want to get certified. Which program would I join?

You would join the new UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Program. It applies to:

  • All ingredients for herbal and fruit infusions, including rooibos
  • Other herbs & spices, including vanilla, chili, or pepper

Which requirements apply for your audit will depend on a number of other factors.

In general, for farm level audits the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements will apply, but with the following exceptions:

  • For farms that are cultivating herbs, spices, rooibos or other herbal tea ingredients together with coffee, cocoa, tea, fruit, nuts, flowers, vegetables or palm oil, and that wish to use the Rainforest Alliance trademarks and claims for these crops, certification against the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Standard applies. This certification covers all crops cultivated on the farm, including herbs, spices, rooibos and other herbal tea ingredients. Please note, that this excludes wild collection. For wild collection, an additional certification against the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements is always required in order to use the Rainforest Alliance trademark and claims.
  • If farmers do not wish to use the Rainforest Alliance trademarks and claims for the coffee, cocoa, tea, fruits, nuts, flowers, vegetables or palm oil they are cultivating, UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements apply. This UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certification will cover all herbs, spices, rooibos and other herbal tea ingredients cultivated on the farm (but no other crops). It will also cover wild collection.
  • Farms that are cultivating chili or pepper (piper nigrum) without any other Rainforest Alliance Certified crop (such as coffee, cocoa, tea, fruit, flowers, nuts, vegetables, or palm oil) may choose between certification against the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements or against the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Standard.

If the certificate holder choses UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certification, the certificate will cover chili and pepper as well as all other herbs, spices, rooibos and herbal tea ingredients, both cultivated and collected from the wild.

If the certificate holder choses the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program, the certificate will cover all crops cultivated on the farm, but no wild collection. For wild collection, a UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certification is always required.

  • If the farm cultivates also other crops next to chili or pepper (such as coffee, cocoa, tea, fruit, flowers, nuts, vegetables or palm oil) and wishes to sell these crops with the Rainforest Alliance trademarks or claims, certification against the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Standard applies for all crops cultivated on the farm. In case of wild collection, an additional UEBT/Rainforest Alliance certification is always required in order to use the Rainforest Alliance trademark and claims.

I am an herbs and spices trader or company and currently hold Rainforest Alliance Chain of Custody certification. What would change for me?

You would still be required to hold supply chain certification to source products certified as part of the new Herbs and Spices program. The Rainforest Alliance has published requirements for supply chain actors as part of its 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard. These are available in the Standard’s Supply Chain Requirements document.

My company sources herbs or spices from Rainforest Alliance or UEBT/UTZ or UTZ certified farms. What would change for me?

Supply chain actors sourcing products certified as part of the new Herbs and Spices program would require Rainforest Alliance certification against the new 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard’s Supply Chain Requirements.

What is the seal/label that will be used for the UEBT/RA Herbs & Spices program?

All ingredients certified under the new UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Program will be able to carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal and/or be linked to the Rainforest Alliance certification claims. For labeling and claims, the Rainforest Alliance Labeling and Trademarks Policy.

The Rainforest Alliance introduced a new certification seal in June 2020. It has replaced the former Rainforest Alliance Certified seal and the UTZ label. You can read more about How to Get Approval to Use Rainforest Alliance Trademarks.

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