Commonwealth Quality

Agriculture is and always has been an important part of life in Massachusetts. In addition to supplying our community with fresh, nutritious food, Massachusetts farmers contribute significantly to our local economy. In fact, Massachusetts' direct-to-consumer sales account for over 40% of New England's total farm sales. Today, more than 7,000 farms across the Commonwealth provide a wide variety of year-round fresh, local produce to consumers and markets.

Commonwealth Quality, a brand designed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, makes it easy to find farm fresh fruits and vegetables that are safe, sustainable and produced in an environmentally friendly way by local farms right here in Massachusetts.

The Commonwealth Quality Seal provides an unspoken guarantee that fresh fruits and vegetables as well as processed foods are not only Massachusetts-grown, processed and tended with care, but that agricultural and production practices adhere to a top level set of criteria that are as good as any in the world.

Supporting Massachusetts farms and promoting local procurement and consumption of farm fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the foundations of the Commonwealth Quality Program. Commonwealth Quality achieves this objective, in part, by defining “local” as Massachusetts grown and harvested. At present, local procurement of farm fresh produce and agricultural products is at an all time high here in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts currently ranks third in direct market sales nationally and continues to witness an increase in farm-stands, CSAs and farmer’s markets across the state.

In order to strengthen and sustain local procurement, Commonwealth Quality ensures that certified fresh produce farmers, processors and distributors adhere to the following provisions:

• CQP listed products must be 100% harvested (sourced) in a raw/live state from a Massachusetts’ location.
• Primary agricultural ingredients in processed food must be 75% (by weight or value) or more grown and harvested in Massachusetts.
• A distributor or reseller can become licensed for use on a particular brand, product line or product if the majority of the goods sold under that brand, product line or product meets either meets the 75% level indicated for processed food or must be 100% harvested in a raw/live state from a Massachusetts’ location.

For more information or to apply for the MA Commonwealth Quality (CQ) program, please go to the Massachusetts Department of Ag Resources site www.mass.gov/agr and click on the Commonwealth Quality link.  Once there click “How to Join”, then “Produce”, and then “Registration Checklist”.  This checklist will give you a list of all documents required to apply for the program, the cost, and where to send the documents.  The CQ program scoresheet and checklist are housed here on the UMass Extension web site and all of the other documents are available on the DAR site.  For questions regarding the CQ program, please contact Michael Botelho at 617 626-1721 or at 508 985-8751.