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

Compare certifications.

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

 
Demeter International logo
Demeter International
Global · Tier 2 Trusted
Fairtrade International logo
Fairtrade International
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
AB (Agriculture Biologique) logo
AB (Agriculture Biologique)
France · Tier 2 Trusted
What it meansThe certification mark for biodynamic agriculture. Stricter than any government organic standard: it covers the entire farm as a closed ecosystem, follows a planting calendar tied to lunar/solar cycles, and bans many practices the baseline organic rules permit.Certifies fair prices and conditions for producers in developing countries — not organic, not environmental. Common on coffee, cocoa, sugar, bananas, tea.France's national organic mark, owned by the Ministry of Agriculture. Sits alongside the EU Leaf on virtually all French organic packaging.
ScopeSeveral categoriesFoodFood
Established192819971985
InspectionAnnual on-site by Demeter-accredited inspectorsAnnual on-site by FLOCERT (independent of Fairtrade International)Annual on-site by French-accredited certifiers
Residue testingRisk-based on top of organicNot for organic — Fairtrade alone doesn't test residuesRisk-based
Guarantees
  • All organic standards PLUS biodynamic preparations and whole-farm planning.
  • Whole-farm certification (not single fields/products).
  • Annual on-site inspection by Demeter-accredited inspectors.
  • Animal welfare standards stricter than baseline organic.
  • Minimum price floors for producer cooperatives.
  • Fairtrade Premium paid into community-development funds.
  • Bans on the worst forms of child and forced labour.
  • Producer organisations must be small-farmer cooperatives or hired-labour plantations meeting standards.
  • EU baseline organic (EU 2018/848).
  • Annual on-site inspection by accredited French certifiers (Ecocert, Bureau Veritas, Qualité-France).
Does NOT
  • Biodynamic philosophy includes esoteric elements (lunar planting, herbal preparations) that many scientists view as non-evidence-based — the agronomic outcomes are still good, the underlying claims about cosmic forces are not testable.
  • Doesn't mean organic — many Fairtrade products are conventionally grown. A separate Fairtrade-Organic dual certification exists.
  • Same standard as the EU Leaf — AB is the brand consumers recognise, not a stricter rule.

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