I'm not sure if this is sarcasm... but if you actually trust/believe that farmers don't cheat during facility inspections, I don't know what to tell you. Every USDA organic farm I've ever had an inside track on is guilty, and that's quite a few. There is no random testing of domestic crops, only imports.[1] Domestic producers are subject to compliance, but the process is scheduled, typically sampling happens onsite, and the FDA makes announcements about crops it plans to investigate.[2]
My understanding from talking with experts is that imported produce in particular is subject to significantly greater oversight than domestic produce.
>>but if you actually trust/believe that farmers don't cheat during facility inspections, I don't know what to tell you. Every USDA organic farm I've ever had an inside track on is guilty, and that's quite a few
This is how half the country feels about election officials.
The people who feel that way about election officials have missed the forest for the trees. The US is a one party state, elections don't matter because the runners are decided by those with the capital to finance them
According to this pdf[1] they may take soil or tissue samples, but primarily the inspection leans on self-reporting. I’d wager that the (3rd party) inspector is mostly checking that you are following your Organic System Plan. There is also nothing stopping the certifier from sending out a separate consultant the week before to make sure their customer has all their ducks in a row. I know thats a thing for ISO certificates.
Fwiw, most regulatory agencies I’m familiar with in the US rely heavily on self-reporting.
My understanding from talking with experts is that imported produce in particular is subject to significantly greater oversight than domestic produce.
[1]https://www.fda.gov/food/importing-food-products-united-stat...
[2]https://www.fda.gov/food/compliance-enforcement-food/samplin...