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	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing	ECO Ecocert France · Tier 2 Trusted	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold	Non-GMO Project Verified United States · Tier 3 Specialty
What it means	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.	France-based independent certifier operating in 130+ countries. One of the world's largest organic + cosmetics + textile certifiers. The 'Ecocert' wordmark on a package usually means Ecocert was the accredited body that ran the inspection against the national/EU standard.	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.	North America's leading 'no genetically modified organisms' certification. Tests for the presence of GMOs in finished products. NOT organic.
Scope	Several categories	Several categories	Food	Food
Established	—	1991	2002	2010
Inspection	None	Annual on-site, ISO 17065-accredited	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier	Annual third-party audit + lab testing
Residue testing	None	Risk-based per standard	Required on ≥5% of operations annually	GMO testing only (not pesticide)
Guarantees	Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.	Inspection against the relevant national or private organic standard (EU 2018/848, USDA NOP, COSMOS, GOTS, Fair for Life, etc.). Annual on-site inspection. Accredited under multiple national systems including USDA NOP and EU 2018/848.	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.	Verified absence of GMO ingredients (with action thresholds, not zero tolerance). Annual third-party verification. Tracing and segregation across the supply chain.
Does NOT	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.	Ecocert is the certifier, not the standard — the actual rules come from whichever organic regulation the product is certified under.	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.	Doesn't mean organic — Non-GMO products can use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers freely.

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