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	EU Organic (Euro-Leaf) European Union · Tier 1 Gold	JAS Organic Japan · Tier 1 Gold	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing	Rainforest Alliance Global · Tier 3 Specialty
What it means	The mandatory mark for any pre-packaged organic food sold in the EU. The 'Euro-Leaf' is a stylised leaf made of twelve white stars on a green background.	Japan's national organic standard under the Japanese Agricultural Standard system. The mark must appear on any food sold as 'organic' (有機 or オーガニック) in Japan.	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.
Scope	Food	Food	Several categories	Food
Established	2010	2001	—	1987
Inspection	Annual on-site by accredited control body in producer country	Annual on-site by MAFF-registered certifier	None	Annual third-party audit (RA-accredited)
Residue testing	Risk-based; mandatory at higher-risk operations	Required for high-risk operations	None	Risk-based
Guarantees	At least 95% of agricultural ingredients are organic (regulation EU 2018/848). No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs. Animal welfare standards (outdoor access, lower stocking density, no routine antibiotics). Annual inspection by an accredited control body in the producing member state. Mandatory display of the certifier's code and origin (e.g. 'EU Agriculture' / 'Non-EU Agriculture').	≥95% organic ingredients. No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs. Annual inspection by a MAFF-registered certifier.	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	Doesn't ban the natural pesticides allowed under the regulation (copper sulphate, spinosad). Doesn't certify processed-food additives beyond the EU's permitted list.	Mutual recognition with the US, EU, and Canada applies to specific product categories — check each agreement before importing.	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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