Skip to content
Organic.is
All certifications
Side-by-side

Compare certifications.

Up to four certifications, side by side. Choose which ones

 
Australian Certified Organic logo
Australian Certified Organic
Australia · Tier 1 Gold
USDA Organic logo
USDA Organic
United States · Tier 1 Gold
?
'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
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 US Department of Agriculture's national organic standard. The green-and-white seal is the legal mark for any food sold as 'organic' in the United States.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.
ScopeFoodFoodSeveral categories
Established20022002—
InspectionAnnual on-site, ACOS-accreditedAnnual on-site by USDA-accredited certifierNone
Residue testingRisk-basedRequired on ≥5% of operations annuallyNone
Guarantees
  • ≥95% organic ingredients.
  • No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs.
  • Annual on-site inspection.
  • Animal welfare and biodynamic-compatible production options.
  • At least 95% of ingredients are certified organic (the '100% Organic' variant requires every ingredient).
  • No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs, no sewage sludge, no irradiation.
  • Annual on-site inspection by a USDA-accredited certifier.
  • Residue testing on at least 5% of certified operations each year.
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
Does NOT
  • Australia has no single mandatory organic mark — ACO is the dominant one, but NASAA, OFC, and others also certify.
  • Doesn't certify nutrition, taste, or animal welfare specifically (separate marks like AWA cover welfare).
  • Doesn't guarantee local production — a 'USDA Organic' product can be grown anywhere with an accredited inspector.
  • 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.

Choose up to 4 (3 chosen)

Stay in the loop

Get notified when we publish new articles, updates, and organic guides. No spam, just honest content, straight to your inbox.

Compare certifications · Organic.is