Steps to Become Food Justice Certified

1. Get Ready

• Introduction to Food Justice Certification for Farms
• Review the Steps to Certification process.
• Read the AJP Standards Sections 2 - 3 farms and 7 for nonprofit farms
• Visit the Resources for Farms page for more info on paying a living wage, labeling, certification and worker rights. Utilize AJP’s Farmer Tool-kit , including sample checklists for self assessment purposes and sample labor policies
• Consider Technical Assistance if your operation is complex or if you have many employees, this option could speed up and simplify your certification process.
• Download the Food Justice Certification Fee Sheet. Interested in funding support for certification? Contact AJP at info@agriculturaljusticeproject.org to find out more about our certification cost-share social justice fund which provides financial support to small and mid-sized family and community farms, with funds also reserved specifically for BIPOC led, including immigrant farmworker led farms.
• Review the Labeling Policies

2. Find an FJC Certifier

• See our list of approved certifiers
• If you are already certified organic, your certifier could become trained to offer AJP certification – reducing your certification costs by doing both inspections in one trip. Ask us how!

3. Request an Estimate and Application from Your Certifier

• We provide technical assistance and can walk you through the application

4. Return Your Application to the Certifier

• Your application includes a licensing agreement and a request for an affidavit asserting that your farm and/or other entities owned by you or associated with your farm have not had any labor violations.

5. Certifier will Conduct an Initial Review of Your Application

• The purpose of the initial review is first to check that your application is complete, collect any additional information necessary, then review your documentation (such as labor policies) for any non-compliances.
• If any non-compliances are found, your certifier will provide you with a list of these and a timeline to address the issue. When you have corrected the non-compliances and documented this for your certifier, the certification process will continue.

6. Public Consultation

• Once your certifier has all the necessary information for your application to be complete, they will send your farm name and location to AJP. We will post this information on our public consultation page and collect any public comments. Your certifier will take these comments into consideration during their certification decision making process.

7. If Complete, Application will be Reviewed by Inspection Team

• The inspectors, including a worker representative if your farm has hired labor, will review your application to familiarize themselves with your operation and streamline the inspection process.
• See our list of approved worker organizations. Contact your certifier to find out which organizations they have already established relationships with.

8. Inspection Scheduled to Take Place On-Site. Inspection Steps Include:

• Your certifier will schedule an inspection with you for a day when workers are present on your farm.
• Initial meeting is held with workers and management present to describe the AJP standards and Food Justice Certification process
• Interviews held with workers, interns and management
• Visit of fields, facilities and any worker housing takes place
• Inspector will conduct an on-site document review of any policies or employee files
• Inspection team will hold on-site follow-up meeting to answer any questions
• A brief summary meeting will be held with the farm owner

9. Certifier will Conduct any Necessary Follow-up Interviews

• If scheduled employees are absent or if certain risk factors are identified your certifier will make phone calls after the inspection to conduct additional interviews

10. Certifier Issues Letter Detailing Non-compliances and Timeline

• As in the step following the initial review of your application, your certifier will identify any non-compliances after the site-visit and provide you with a timeline to address these issues

Your Farm is Certified!

• You are now licensed to use the Food Justice Certified mark according to our labeling requirements.

* Farmers are entitled to use the AJP Appeals and Complaints procedure at any point in the certification process.

About Food Justice Certified Farms

Farms of any size and type can become Food Justice Certified farms.

Steps to Become Food Justice Certified

Certify your business in 10 steps!

1. Get Ready

• Food Justice Certification for Businesses Factsheet
• Food Justice Certification for Brand Holders Factsheet
• Read the FJC Standards - Sections 1.0, 4.0 and 6.0 (for Grower Groups there is an additional section 5.0 that would apply)
• Visit the Resources for Businesses page for more info on paying a living wage, labeling, certification and worker rights
• Consider Technical Assistance, if your operation is complex or if you have many employees, this option could speed up and simplify your certification process.
• Estimate your FJC Licensing Fee
• Review the Certification Section (Chapter 3) in the AJP Policy Manual and labeling requirements if you are a brand holder.

2. Find an FJC Certifier

• See our list of approved certifiers
• If you are already certified organic, your certifier could become trained to offer AJP certification as well – reducing your certification costs by doing both inspections in one trip. To become trained your certifier must attend an official AJP training and begin our accreditation process.

3. Request an Estimate and Application from Your Certifier

• We provide technical assistance and can walk you through the application

4. Fill out Application and Return to Certifier

• Your application includes a licensing agreement and a request for an affidavit asserting that your farm and/or other entities owned by you or associated with your farm have not had any labor violations.

5. Certifier will Conduct an Initial Review of Your Application

• The purpose of the initial review is first to check that your application is complete, collect any additional information necessary, then review your documentation (such as labor policies) for any non-compliances.
• If any non-compliances are found, your certifier will provide you with a list of these and a timeline to address the issue. When you have corrected the non-compliances and documented this for your certifier, the certification process will continue.

6. Public Consultation

• Once your certifier has all the necessary information for your application to be complete, they will send your business name and location to AJP. We will post this information on our public consultation page and collect any public comments. Your certifier will take these comments into consideration during their certification decision making process.

7. If Complete, Application will be Reviewed by Inspection Team

• The inspectors, including a worker representative if your business has hired labor, will review your application to familiarize themselves with your operation and streamline the inspection process.
• See our list of approved worker organizations. Contact your certifier to find out which organizations they have already established relationships with.

8. Inspection Scheduled to Take Place On-Site. Inspection Steps Include:

• Your certifier will schedule an inspection with you for a day when workers are present at your business.
• Initial meeting is held with workers and management present to describe the AJP standards and Food Justice Certification process
• Interviews held with workers, interns and management
• Visit of facilities and any worker housing takes place
• Inspector will conduct an on-site document review of any policies or employee files
• Inspection team will hold on-site follow-up meeting to answer any questions
• A brief summary meeting will be held with the farm owner

9. Certifier will Conduct any Necessary Follow-up Interviews

• If scheduled employees are absent or if certain risk factors are identified your certifier will make phone calls after the inspection to conduct additional interviews

10. Certifier Issues Letter Detailing Non-compliances and Timeline

• As in the step following the initial review of your application, your certifier will identify any non-compliances after the site-visit and provide you with a timeline to address these issues
• Once all non-compliances are addressed..

Your Business is Certified!

• You are now licensed to use the Food Justice Certified mark according to our labeling requirements, section 2.1 in our Policy Manual.

About Food Justice Certified Businesses

Food businesses of any type and size can become Food Justice Certified, from restaurants to retailers to processors. The certification process looks at your business’ hired labor practices as well as contracts with other businesses and/or with farmers that you purchase from.

Tiered Labeling

Food Justice Certified uses three labels to differentiate between the number of certified "links in the chain" behind each product. To maintain integrity in our labeling system, we have specific requirements for when subcontracted processors must get certified to allow for a higher tier label to be applied.

Steps to Offering Food Justice Certification

1. Review this short guide for certifiers.

2. Read section 4.0 of the Policy Manual, which contains information for certifiers regarding oversight requirements, training requirements, and the expectations for the relationship between certifiers and worker organizations (Below you will find the full AJP Policy Manual).

3. Contact AJP staff to find out about trainings and getting ready to offer FJC certification.

Certifiers work directly with approved worker organizations.

Oversight for AJP Approved Certifiers

Certifiers that have up to ten FJC clients are oversee by AJP through an approval process, periodic onsite audits, annual report and case-by-case witness inspections of their FJC clients. These certifiers may carry out Food Justice Certification if they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AJP, granting AJP oversight of the program and agreeing to participate in the full-scale accreditation process.

Certifiers with over ten clients are overseen by AJP through an accreditation process to the scope of the FJC Standards. This accreditation includes an application process, an office visit and witness inspections.

AJP is happy to announce that the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is the newest Food Justice Certification certifier. See the full press release here.

Inserted in applying for Food Justice Certification? Visit OEFFA's website for applications, fee sheets and more.

Quality Certification Services is no longer an approved Food Justice Certified certifier.

Want help with your employment practices?

The Agricultural Justice Project (AJP) offers free help to farmers while funds last

Starting in 2021, AJP has funding to provide farmers with free technical assistance on employment practices, as long as funding lasts. We can help you with employment policies, integrating social justice values into employment practices, communication and conflict resolution, health and safety, and pricing your products to cover fair wages and production costs.

How does it work?

1. Fill out a 30-minute self-assessment of your farm’s current practices.
2. Email us your existing written employment policies and health/safety plan. Don’t fret if you don’t have anything in writing yet–that’s what we’re here for!
3. We’ll respond with an individualized report and offer resources and suggestions that you may find helpful.
4. We’ll also invite you to workshops on pricing, writing an employee handbook based on social justice values, creating a health and safety plan for your farm, and training your employees, as well as summer field days where you can meet up with other farmers to share ideas and learn more.

How do I sign up?

To participate, just fill out the self-assessment form. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

If you have them, you can send your existing written policies and employee handbook by email to farmerselfassessment@agriculturaljusticeproject.org. If you don't have written policies or documents yet, don't worry! We can help you move in that direction.

What resources do you have to offer?

The AJP has collected ready-to-adapt templates and well-tested policies and procedures for farms that can help farmers hone their employment policies. Many of these resources are gathered in our Farmer Toolkit, including

• Legal requirements for employment
• On-boarding forms
• Grievance and conflict resolution processes
• Templates for employee performance evaluations
• Model employee handbook
• Model safety policy and guide to designing a health/safety plan
• Templates for health and safety trainings
• Guidance on learning programs, interns, and apprentices
• Guidance on fair pricing, calculating production costs, and negotiating with buyers
• How to calculate the living wage for your immediate area

We also have a broad network of farmers, workers, buyers, and allies who have shared with us the wisdom they have learned from striving to make farming fair for everyone involved. Our Farmer Toolkit gathers many of the resources and practical tools these friends have developed for their workplaces and communities.

The AJP also offers the labor standards of our Food Justice Certification, developed with significant leadership from farmworkers and farmers. All of our resources refer to these standards as the benchmark of social justice values in farming, enabling you to run a farm in a way that offers fair working conditions to both workers and growers alike.

Will this offer expire?

We have limited funding to offer our services at no cost, and some of that funding is time-limited. We will update this page promptly as needed.

Will you keep my information confidential?

Your information and employment practices will be protected and fully confidential. Our individual consultation and report-writing process is private, and we will not share information about your participation with anyone.

Later, you will be invited to participate in webinars and meetings with other farmers who have participated in this project. You may opt out of these invitations at any time.

Questions?

Please contact Jon Magee at jon@agriculturaljusticeproject.org for more information.

Acknowledgments

Fair Farm Technical Assistance and Outreach Projects (2021-2024) is a partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Northeast Organic Farming Association of NY (NOFA-NY), and Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA). This project is funded thanks to grants from the Northeast Extension Risk Management Education Center (NERME) and the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE).

More information about technical assistance

AJP offers technical assistance to farms and businesses trying to meet any of the standards of Food Justice Certification. We have three basic options to begin building your technical assistance package. All technical assistance packages are customized to meet your needs.

1. Desk Assessment
AJP completes a review of your documents and application materials, similar to what a certifier will do during the Initial Review step in certification. This is a low cost way to identify non-compliances before investing in certification.

2. On-Site Assessment
AJP completes a desk assessment as explained above, identifies any red flags, then follows up with a complete mock-inspection on-site at your facility or farm. This option is the most thorough and most likely to identify any non-compliances that a certification inspection would turn up.

3. Technical Support Throughout Certification Process
The client makes a deposit for ongoing support from AJP over email or conference calls throughout their certification process. This is a particularly helpful option for first-time certification of large groups.

There are two sets of fees to consider when looking at the costs of Food Justice Certification:

• Certifier fees for certification, inspection and final report review
• Food Justice Certified licensing fees (see chart below)

AJP trained and approved independent certifiers conduct the Food Justice Certification process for farms and businesses. These certifiers set their own fees for Food Justice Certification. Please contact the approved certifiers for a quote.

Click here for a printable version of the Licensing Fee structure. If you are unsure of where your operation fits in the licensing fee structure please contact AJP directly at info@agriculturaljusticeproject.org.