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	EU Organic (Euro-Leaf) European Union · Tier 1 Gold	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold	Rainforest Alliance Global · Tier 3 Specialty	Naturland Germany · Tier 2 Trusted
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.	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.	Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.	A German farmers' association whose private organic standard is stricter than the EU baseline. Covers food, aquaculture, textiles, and cosmetics. Recognised globally.
Scope	Food	Food	Food	Several categories
Established	2010	2002	1987	1982
Inspection	Annual on-site by accredited control body in producer country	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier	Annual third-party audit (RA-accredited)	Annual on-site by Naturland-accredited inspectors
Residue testing	Risk-based; mandatory at higher-risk operations	Required on ≥5% of operations annually	Risk-based	Required
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').	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.	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.	Stricter than EU 2018/848 (lower nitrogen inputs, full-farm conversion, social standards). Annual on-site inspection. Fair-pricing requirements for member farmers.
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.	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.	Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.	Membership-based — only farms that join the Naturland association can use the mark.

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Compare certifications · Organic.is