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Fairtrade International logo
Fairtrade International
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
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'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
JAS Organic logo
JAS Organic
Japan · Tier 1 Gold
What it meansCertifies fair prices and conditions for producers in developing countries — not organic, not environmental. Common on coffee, cocoa, sugar, bananas, tea.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.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.
ScopeFoodSeveral categoriesFood
Established1997—2001
InspectionAnnual on-site by FLOCERT (independent of Fairtrade International)NoneAnnual on-site by MAFF-registered certifier
Residue testingNot for organic — Fairtrade alone doesn't test residuesNoneRequired for high-risk operations
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.
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
  • ≥95% organic ingredients.
  • No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs.
  • Annual inspection by a MAFF-registered certifier.
Does NOT
  • Doesn't mean organic — many Fairtrade products are conventionally grown. A separate Fairtrade-Organic dual certification exists.
  • 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.
  • Mutual recognition with the US, EU, and Canada applies to specific product categories — check each agreement before importing.

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