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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
Rainforest Alliance logo
Rainforest Alliance
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
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.Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.
ScopeFoodSeveral categoriesFood
Established1997—1987
InspectionAnnual on-site by FLOCERT (independent of Fairtrade International)NoneAnnual third-party audit (RA-accredited)
Residue testingNot for organic — Fairtrade alone doesn't test residuesNoneRisk-based
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.
  • 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 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.
  • Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.

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