Herbs and Spices Programme: Joint Rainforest Alliance and UEBT certification
Herbs and spices are used in a variety of foods, beverages, and flavourings and provide important income to farmers around the world. UEBT and the Rainforest Alliance together manage a joint Herbs & Spices Programme. All ingredients certified under this programme are able to carry the Rainforest Alliance certification seal.
With this partnership, we build on the decades-long experience of the Rainforest Alliance in sustainable agriculture certification, and UEBT’s expert knowledge of botanicals including wild-harvested ingredients.
Programme scope
The programme applies to:
all ingredients for herbal and fruit infusions, including rooibos
other herbs & spices, including vanilla, chili, and pepper
all wild collected crops
What standard is used?
In the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Programme the following standards apply:
For farm certification: in general, the UEBT/Rainforest Alliance requirements compiled in a Field Checklist and two system checklists, for organizations located in sourcing and organizations not in sourcing areas, apply. There are some exceptions when farms will be certified against the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard instead, mainly to improve the usability and efficiency of implementation.
For supply chain certification: the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard’s Supply Chain Requirements apply to companies buying from certified farms.
For more details and exceptions, please visit the Rainforest Alliance’s Which Standard Applies To You page.
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(for farms and local companies, and for companies not located in sourcing areas).
Claims and labels
All ingredients certified under the new UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Programme can carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. For labeling and claims, the Rainforest Alliance Labeling and Trademarks Policy applies. The UEBT certification label may also be available for use. Contact us at claims@uebt.org for more information.
Sustainable Spices Initiative
The UEBT standard has been recognised by the Sustainable Spices Initiative (SSI). SSI recognises standards that its members should use to fulfill their sourcing commitments. SSI determined that UEBT’s standard covers critical sustainability issues that the herbs and spices sector faces.
Ready to apply?
Write to certification@uebt.org
Go deeper
Visit our Get Certified pages.
