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	EU Organic (Euro-Leaf) European Union · Tier 1 Gold	Rainforest Alliance Global · Tier 3 Specialty	Canada Organic Biologique Canada · Tier 1 Gold	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold
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.	Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.	The federal Canadian organic standard, mandatory on any agricultural product sold across provincial borders or imported as 'organic'.	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.
Scope	Food	Food	Food	Food
Established	2010	1987	2009	2002
Inspection	Annual on-site by accredited control body in producer country	Annual third-party audit (RA-accredited)	Annual on-site by CFIA-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier
Residue testing	Risk-based; mandatory at higher-risk operations	Risk-based	Risk-based, conducted by accredited certifiers	Required on ≥5% of operations annually
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').	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.	≥95% organic ingredients (single-ingredient products: 100%). No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs, no irradiation. Annual third-party certification under the Canada Organic Regime.	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.
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.	Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.	Provincial sales-only operations are not legally required to carry it (though many do voluntarily).	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.

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