The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated its guidelines for products labeled "organic" on Thursday, as part of an effort to close loopholes stemming from the term that has been increasingly abused by suppliers.

The USDA touted the new rule, which aims to increase oversight and enforcement of products labeled organic, as the "biggest update to organic regulations" in more than 30 years.

"The Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule is the biggest update to the organic regulations since the original Act in 1990, providing a significant increase in oversight and enforcement authority to reinforce the trust of consumers, farmers, and those transitioning to organic production. This success is another demonstration that USDA fully stands behind the organic brand," USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt said in a statement.

The USDA has a strict definition of "certified organic," allowing the label to be used only for products that meet certain standards for soil quality, animal-raising practices, pest and weed control, and the use of additives.

The updated guidelines require more businesses throughout the supply chain to be certified as organic and mandate that all organic products entering the U.S. have an import certificate from the USDA's National Organic Program.

The guidelines will standardize training and operation requirements for organic businesses and personnel and will lead to more on-site inspections. They also stipulate that non-retail containers used to ship and store organic products be labeled as such to "reduce the mishandling of organic products" and "support traceability."

The updated regulations come in the wake of the Justice Department announcing indictments for individuals alleged to have masterminded a multimillion-dollar scheme to export nonorganic soybeans from Eastern Europe to the U.S., to be sold as certified organic.

They were able to charge 50% more for "organic" grain than conventional, the department said in January.

The changes will go into effect on March 20 and those impacted will have a year to comply with the changes.

U.S.