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	JAS Organic Japan · Tier 1 Gold	Nordic Swan Ecolabel Nordic Countries · Tier 3 Specialty	Non-GMO Project Verified United States · Tier 3 Specialty	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
What it means	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.	The official environmental label of the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland). Covers ~60 product categories from cleaning products to hotels — NOT specifically an organic standard.	North America's leading 'no genetically modified organisms' certification. Tests for the presence of GMOs in finished products. NOT 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.
Scope	Food	Several categories	Food	Several categories
Established	2001	1989	2010	—
Inspection	Annual on-site by MAFF-registered certifier	On-site + product review by national Ecolabel office	Annual third-party audit + lab testing	None
Residue testing	Required for high-risk operations	Risk-based per category	GMO testing only (not pesticide)	None
Guarantees	≥95% organic ingredients. No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs. Annual inspection by a MAFF-registered certifier.	Lifecycle-based environmental criteria for the product category. Restrictions on hazardous chemicals. Recyclability and packaging requirements. Audited every 3-5 years against an updated standard.	Verified absence of GMO ingredients (with action thresholds, not zero tolerance). Annual third-party verification. Tracing and segregation across the supply chain.	Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
Does NOT	Mutual recognition with the US, EU, and Canada applies to specific product categories — check each agreement before importing.	Doesn't certify food as organic — Nordic Swan on a food package means lower-environmental-impact, not 'no synthetic pesticides'.	Doesn't mean organic — Non-GMO products can use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers freely.	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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