How a label is audited: the certification process explained

Between the certification application and the logo applied to a package, a precise audit process takes place, largely invisible to anyone not directly involved. This guide describes its typical sequence, complementing our guide on what a label proves and does not prove.

Who inspects, and who inspects the inspector

It is the first question a sceptic asks, and it has an answer in figures.

A certification body does not appoint itself. In France, to inspect an official quality and origin sign — Label Rouge (the French state-backed label for superior quality), AOP, IGP, STG (the French names for the EU PDO, PGI and TSG schemes), organic farming — it must meet two cumulative conditions: be approved by the INAO (the French national institute for origin and quality) and be accredited by COFRAC, the French national accreditation body, under the NF EN ISO/IEC 17065 standard. That accreditation covers precisely what you want to know: its competence, its independence and its impartiality.

And the certification body is itself assessed. The INAO reassesses it every 12 to 18 months at its head office, and observes it in action in the field. In other words, the chain has one more tier than is generally imagined: the producer is audited by a body, which is itself audited at regular intervals by the authority that approved it.

Nor is the control plan written by whoever applies it: the sector’s protection and management body (ODG, organisme de défense et de gestion) chooses its inspection body, which submits its draft control plan for approval by the INAO. What will be checked at your premises, and how often, has therefore been validated upstream by a public authority.

The document audit, before the site visit

Before any travel, the certification body generally requests a set of documents: production registers, invoices, site plans, written procedures. This step checks the formal consistency of the file before incurring the cost of a physical visit — an incomplete or inconsistent file at this stage delays or jeopardises the rest of the process.

The on-site audit

The auditor visits the farm or production site to check that observed practice matches the file submitted. This visit generally covers:

• Physical inspection of the facilities and their compliance with the standard.
• An interview with the person in charge, on the procedures actually followed.
• Sample-based verification of certain records (logs, invoices) rather than an exhaustive check of all documents.
• For a processing workshop, specific attention to forward flow and internal traceability.

Sampling: what the audit really looks at

An audit does not check every record for a year — it samples a representative portion, according to a method defined by the certification standard. It is this sampling principle that explains why a certification is not equivalent to an exhaustive check of each batch, a point already developed in our guide on what a label actually proves.

Minor and major non-conformities

• Minor non-conformity: an occasional or formal deviation that does not fundamentally affect the reliability of the system — generally accompanied by a correction deadline without immediately calling the certification into question.
• Major non-conformity: a deviation that calls into question the reliability of the system as a whole — may lead to suspension or refusal of certification until the correction has been made and verified.

This distinction explains why a certification maintained despite an identified deviation is not necessarily a sign of lax control — a documented and corrected minor deviation is part of the normal functioning of the process.

The frequency of follow-up audits

Once certification is obtained, follow-up audits (often annual, sometimes more frequent depending on the standard) check that it is maintained over time. A positive initial audit therefore does not guarantee indefinite compliance without further verification — it is precisely the frequency of these follow-up audits that determines how current the guarantee carried by a displayed logo really is.

Common mistakes

• Turning up to the audit without having prepared the documentation beforehand, needlessly weighing down the process.
• Confusing a minor non-conformity with certification failure — a documented minor deviation does not call the certification into question if the correction follows.
• Ignoring follow-up audits, thinking the initial certification is enough indefinitely.

Checklist before an audit

1. Prepare all the requested documents before the visit, not on the day.
2. Ask for the control plan applicable to your sign — it has been approved by the INAO, so it can be known, and it says what will be checked.
3. Check consistency between written procedures and actual practice in the field.
4. Anticipate the points specific to your type of activity (processing: forward flow, internal traceability).
5. Handle and document any minor non-conformity within the time allowed.
6. Check that your certification body is indeed INAO-approved and COFRAC-accredited under the ISO/IEC 17065 standard — both lists are public.

Sources

• Le contrôle des signes officiels d'identification de la qualité et de l'origine (Inspection of official quality and origin signs), INAO — the dual approval and accreditation condition, approval of the control plan.
• Organisme de contrôle (Control body), INAO — reassessment of certification bodies every 12 to 18 months.

Verified 17 August 2026.