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Australian Certified Organic logo
Australian Certified Organic
Australia · Tier 1 Gold
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'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
Rainforest Alliance logo
Rainforest Alliance
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
What it meansAustralia's largest organic certifier, accredited under the Australian National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce. The bud-and-leaf logo is the most-seen organic mark in Australian supermarkets.The word 'natural' on packaging is a marketing term, not a certification. In most jurisdictions there's no legal definition, no standard, and no inspection. A product labelled 'natural' can contain synthetic ingredients, pesticides, GMOs, and artificial flavours.Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.
ScopeFoodSeveral categoriesFood
Established2002—1987
InspectionAnnual on-site, ACOS-accreditedNoneAnnual third-party audit (RA-accredited)
Residue testingRisk-basedNoneRisk-based
Guarantees
  • ≥95% organic ingredients.
  • No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs.
  • Annual on-site inspection.
  • Animal welfare and biodynamic-compatible production options.
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
  • Reduced (not eliminated) synthetic pesticide use, with bans on the most hazardous classes.
  • Forest conservation requirements (no deforestation after the cut-off date).
  • Worker welfare and community development requirements.
  • Annual third-party audit.
Does NOT
  • Australia has no single mandatory organic mark — ACO is the dominant one, but NASAA, OFC, and others also certify.
  • Doesn't mean organic. Doesn't mean pesticide-free. Doesn't mean GMO-free. Doesn't mean ethically produced.
  • Some markets (e.g. the US FDA on food, EU on cosmetics) place very limited restrictions on the word, but enforcement is weak.
  • Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.

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