How to check a supplier we introduce in the EU Commission's TRACES NT — in one click
For organic products, the supplier shares their EU-organic certificate and we pass on the operator name and number they give us. TANDOR does not check it for you — you check it yourself: the link opens the EU Commission's official directory on webgate.ec.europa.eu.
What TRACES NT is
TRACES NT (TRAde Control and Expert System — New Technology) is the EU Commission's IT platform that, since January 2023, hosts every organic operator certificate issued in the EU. Each certificate is publicly searchable: operator name, certificate body, certificate number, validity dates, the products and activities covered, the production unit address. It is the official source of truth for EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 compliance. A buyer who verifies a supplier on TRACES NT is verifying against the regulator, not against a marketplace's word.
How to verify a supplier we introduce
- 1Send us a written brief; we come back with supplier options.
- 2With each organic supplier we introduce, you receive the operator name and certificate number the supplier gave us, plus a TRACES NT link.
- 3Open the link. You leave TANDOR and arrive on webgate.ec.europa.eu/tracesnt/directory/publication/organic-operator/.
- 4Confirm the operator name, certificate body, and that the activities listed cover the product you're sourcing.
- 5If the certificate is missing, expired, or activities don't match — tell us. We stop introducing that supplier.
Why this matters more in 2026
EU Regulation 2018/848 makes TRACES NT the mandatory operator certificate registry. The 2023 transition closed the era of paper certificates. Buyers in cosmetic, food, and supplement markets increasingly require certificate cross-checks at goods-in. A platform that doesn't deep-link to the official source is asking buyers to trust the platform's verification — which, on a 2026 audit by your procurement team, is no verification at all.
How TANDOR handles it
FAQ
Could a supplier appear on Tandor without a TRACES NT entry?+
TANDOR does not check certificates; the operator number shown comes from the supplier, and you check it yourself in TRACES NT. If we receive a take-down request for a missing or expired certificate, we remove the supplier within 24 hours and rebill it as conventional if applicable.
What if the TRACES NT page shows the operator is suspended?+
Suspension is the official regulator's signal that the operator's certificate is under review. Treat it as a hard stop for any organic-claiming purchase. Email info@tandor.eu and we'll remove the listing the same day.
Does this apply only to EU origin?+
TRACES NT covers EU operators and operators outside the EU whose organic products are imported into the EU. Either way, the certificate details come from the supplier and you check them yourself. For imports from outside the EU, also ask the supplier for the certificate of inspection (COI) issued in TRACES NT for each shipment.
Is the TRACES NT lookup free?+
Yes. The European Commission publishes the operator directory at no cost. The link we pass on points to the same public page anyone can open directly at webgate.ec.europa.eu/tracesnt/directory/publication/organic-operator/.
What about non-EU certifications — Demeter, COSMOS, FairWild?+
TRACES NT covers EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 only. Demeter, COSMOS, FairWild, Soil Association and similar schemes are private certification systems with their own public databases. If a supplier states one of them, ask for the certificate and check it in that scheme's database.