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Fairtrade International logo
Fairtrade International
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
Canada Organic Biologique logo
Canada Organic Biologique
Canada · Tier 1 Gold
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'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
What it meansCertifies fair prices and conditions for producers in developing countries — not organic, not environmental. Common on coffee, cocoa, sugar, bananas, tea.The federal Canadian organic standard, mandatory on any agricultural product sold across provincial borders or imported as 'organic'.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
Established19972009—
InspectionAnnual on-site by FLOCERT (independent of Fairtrade International)Annual on-site by CFIA-accredited certifierNone
Residue testingNot for organic — Fairtrade alone doesn't test residuesRisk-based, conducted by accredited certifiersNone
Guarantees
  • 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.
  • ≥95% organic ingredients (single-ingredient products: 100%).
  • No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs, no irradiation.
  • Annual third-party certification under the Canada Organic Regime.
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
Does NOT
  • Doesn't mean organic — many Fairtrade products are conventionally grown. A separate Fairtrade-Organic dual certification exists.
  • Provincial sales-only operations are not legally required to carry it (though many do voluntarily).
  • 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.

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