The organic market is confronted with hundreds of private sector standards and governmental regulations, two international standards for organic agriculture (Codex Alimentarius and IFOAM) and a host of conformity assessment and accreditation systems. Mutual recognition and equivalency among the systems is extremely limited. The multitude of certification requirements and regulations are considered to be a major obstacle for continuous and rapid development of the organic sector, especially for producers in developing countries.

IFOAM, FAO and UNCTAD formed the International Task Force on Harmonization (ITF) in 2003. The Task Force consists of representatives of governments, intergovernmental agencies, and key stakeholders from the private sector. The ITF serves as an open-ended platform for dialog between private and public institutions involved in trade and regulatory activities in the organic agriculture sector. The objective is to facilitate international organic trade and access of developing countries to international organic markets.