quality foods inc. . utz certified type non profit organization industry product certification sustainability founded amsterdam the netherlands 2002 headquarters amsterdam netherlands key people han de groot executive director number of employees 100 2014 website www.utzcertified.org utz certified is a program and a label for sustainable farming . the utz certified label is featured on more than 10 000 different product packages in over 116 countries . 1 as of 2014 utz certified is the largest program for sustainable farming of coffee and cocoa in the world . 2 the utz certified program covers good agricultural practices farm management social and living conditions and the environment . contents 1 history 2 products 3 code of conduct 3.1 summary of the code of conduct 3.2 common categories in the code of conduct 3.3 product specific modules in the code of conduct 3.4 chain of custody 3.5 traceability 3.5.1 traceability services 3.6 certification 4 impact 5 pricing 6 criticism 7 see also 8 references 9 external links history edit utz was launched in 2002 as utz kapeh meaning good coffee in the mayan language quich . it was founded by nick bocklandt a belgian guatemalan coffee grower and ward de groote a dutch coffee roaster with the goal of implementing sustainability on a large scale in the worldwide market . solidaridad www.solidaridadnetwork.org was another co initiator of utz certified and assisted utz to become a global standard through financial support and field implementation . 3 on 7 march 2007 the utz kapeh foundation officially changed its name and logo to utz certified . 4 products edit coffee utz certified is the largest sustainability program in the world for coffee . in 2012 9 % of the coffee produced in the world was utz certified 716 000 mt out of global production of 8 200 000 mt 5 . cocoa on 10 october 2007 the cocoa program was launched . utz certified cooperated with ahold cargill heinz benelux mars nestl and ecom to set up a new certification and traceability system for sustainable cocoa . solidaridad and oxfam novib also supported the initiative from the beginning . in 2009 the first utz certified cocoa products reached the market . as of 2014 utz certified is the largest sustainability program for cocoa in the world . by now over 336 300 cocoa farmers from 16 countries are utz certified . in 2012 13 % of the cocoa produced in the world was utz certified 535 000 mt out of global production of 2 889 000mt 6 . tea the utz certified program for tea and rooibos was launched in 2007 . 7 hazelnuts utz certified is currently running a pilot project in turkey to explore the possibilities for sustainability . 8 code of conduct edit summary of the code of conduct edit the utz certification program is based on the utz certified code of conduct 9 a set of social and environmental criteria for responsible growing practices and efficient farm management . coffee cocoa and tea producers who are utz certified comply with this code . the code of conduct version 2014 9 is based on the international ilo conventions and the expertise of many different stakeholders including the farmers who use it . the code has been developed in a broad stakeholder process and therefore widely accepted . citation needed a core code is applicable to all farmers and there are also additional requirements in product specific modules for coffee cocoa and tea . 10 the certification system is based on a model of continuous improvement . producers have to comply with core safety and quality standards from year one . additional control points are added in the following years . common categories in the code of conduct edit the criteria of the utz certified code of conduct fall into four categories 11 farm management measures to optimize the yield internal management system for groups with responsibilities including arranging annual internal inspections record keeping risk assessments training and awareness raising recording of volumes in the utz certified traceability system farming practices choice of suitable planting variety farm maintenance soil fertility management diversification of production to support ecological diversity and economic resilience integrated pest management responsible and appropriate choice and use of agro chemicals and fertilizers and records of application irrigation product handling during and after the harvest social and living conditions application of national laws and ilo conventions regarding wages and working hours including the living wage concept for individual farms no forced labor or child labor freedom of association and collective bargaining safe and healthy working conditions including protective clothing for work with chemicals safety training of workers in their own language gender equality no discrimination freedom of cultural expression access to education for children access to decent housing clean drinking water and health care for workers and their families environment efficient use of water and energy waste management promotion of ecological diversity protection of nature no deforestation of primary forests respect for protected areas protection of endangered species reduction and prevention of soil erosion measures to adapt to climate change product specific modules in the code of conduct edit coffee correct fermentation and handling of coffee after harvest treatment of waste water from processing cocoa use of shade trees correct drying and fermentation tea harvest carried out at the appropriate time correct handling of harvested leaves quality control energy and waste water management rooibos crop rotation harvest carried out at the appropriate time correct post harvest handling bush fire prevention identification and protection of wild rooibos areas chain of custody edit to enhance the guarantee that a consumer product with an utz certified logo does indeed credibly link to an utz certified producer the utz certified program contains chain of custody requirements . this is a set of chain wide administrative logistical and technical requirements for traceability . these requirements include criteria for separation of utz certified products and conventional non utz certified products and keeping records of direct suppliers and buyers . traceability edit utz certified coffee cocoa and tea is traceable through the supply chain as utz uses a web based traceability system . when an utz certified producer sells his products e.g. coffee cocoa tea to a registered utz certified buyer the product is announced in the utz certified web based system . by doing so the seller announces when he is shipping what amount to whom . the buyer then gets notified and needs to confirm this in the traceability system . utz certified assigns a unique tracking number to this lot . at the end of the supply chain the end product manufacturer uses the unique tracking number to know his product credibly links to a certified source . some brands use this unique tracking system to make the product traceable for their consumers . 12 traceability services edit traceability services utz certified has developed implemented and is currently managing the traceability system for the roundtable on sustainable palm oil . this system was launched in december 2008 . certification edit independent third party auditors make annual inspections to ensure coffee producers comply with the code of conduct . 9 certification body a certification body cb is an independent third party certifier . when approved by utz certified these organizations conduct annual certification inspections of coffee cocoa and tea producers to determine whether they comply with the utz certified code of conduct 9 and chain of custody requirements . 13 trained agronomists an utz certified trained agronomist is a technical consultant specifically trained in assisting producers to comply with the utz certified code of conduct . 9 trained agronomists can advise on practical implementation of elements of the code and give directions on improvement of efficiency in farm management . impact edit in 2014 utz certified published its first impact report . 14 this brought together 24 external studies and data collected by utz certified . it demonstrated that utz certified cocoa coffee and tea farms generate higher yields and better quality crops than conventional farms and being trained in the utz code of conduct helps farmers to improve their knowledge and adopt sustainable farming practices . pricing edit coffee cocoa and tea with an utz certification has added value in the sense that it assures buyers that it has been produced according to an internationally recognized standard for responsible production i.e. according to the utz certified code of conduct . the price for utz certified coffee is determined in the negotiation process between buyer and seller . utz certified does not interfere in price negotiations . in contrast to fair trade no minimum purchase price is set . instead the focus on good agricultural practices in the utz program is intended to enable farmers to increase the quantity and quality of their yield and thus to increase their income . criticism edit utz certified certification like the rainforest alliance coffee certification program has been criticized because it offers producers no minimum or guaranteed price for their crop . some consider utz certified producer organizations to be vulnerable to the volatility of the coffee market . 15 the price difference and the fact companies do not pay any marketing costs for logo use makes the utz certified label considerably cheaper than fairtrade for companies and farmers interested in tapping the ethical market . citation needed michael conroy an independent consultant on certification for sustainable development criticized utz certified in his 2007 book branded the environmental standards of utz certified are far weaker than those of either fairtrade or rainforest alliance . 16 utz certified s standards for example explicitly announces that genetically modified coffee plants though not at present available would be allowable so long as farmers obey local regulations on their use . any kind of chemical fertilizer may be used as long as an external technically qualified advisor has determined the quantity of fertilizer to be used . no chemical pesticides or fungicides banned in the european union the u.s. or japan may be used but any that are acceptable in those three markets are acceptable on coffee farms if they are applied according to the label . 17 in july 2012 german magazine kotest published an article labeling utz certified among others as unfair due to a lack of pre financing and guaranteed minimum purchase prices . 18 in response utz certified stated that the foundation does not consider its standards fair trade nor that it claims that they are while maintaining that its standards contribute positively to sustainable development of tropical farming communities . 19 see also edit sustainable development portal coffee portal fair trade ethical consumerism harkin engel protocol international federation of organic agriculture movements references edit 2013 bringing good practice to scale press release . amsterdam utz certified . 18 april 2014 . potts jason ; lynch matthew ; wilkings ann ; hupp gabriel ; cunningham maxine ; voora vivek 2014 the state of sustainability initiatives ssi review 2014 standards and the green economy pdf winnipeg manitoba canada international institute for sustainable development isbn 978 1 894784 45 0 the story of utz . utz certified . utz kapeh proudly presents its new face utz certified good inside press release . utz certified . 7 march 2007 . ssi review p 176 . ssi review p 146 . tea . utz certified . utz certified launches sustainable hazelnuts farming initiative in turkey press release . amsterdam utz certified . 16 april 2014 . a b c d e a new code of conduct . that s better . utz certified . 2013 . utz s new code of conduct is more robust and flexible simpler structure will enable more farmers to join the program press release . amsterdam utz certified . 15 may 2014 . the utz certified code of conduct summary pdf retrieved 14 january 2014 trade & traceability . utz certified . trade and traceability traceability of utz certified coffee from grower to roaster makes the utz certified