Skip to content
Organic.is
All certifications
Side-by-side

Compare certifications.

Up to four certifications, side by side. Choose which ones

 
?
'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
Fairtrade International logo
Fairtrade International
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
JAS Organic logo
JAS Organic
Japan · Tier 1 Gold
What it meansThe 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.Certifies fair prices and conditions for producers in developing countries — not organic, not environmental. Common on coffee, cocoa, sugar, bananas, tea.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.
ScopeSeveral categoriesFoodFood
Established—19972001
InspectionNoneAnnual on-site by FLOCERT (independent of Fairtrade International)Annual on-site by MAFF-registered certifier
Residue testingNoneNot for organic — Fairtrade alone doesn't test residuesRequired for high-risk operations
Guarantees
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
  • 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.
  • No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs.
  • Annual inspection by a MAFF-registered certifier.
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.
  • Doesn't mean organic — many Fairtrade products are conventionally grown. A separate Fairtrade-Organic dual certification exists.
  • Mutual recognition with the US, EU, and Canada applies to specific product categories — check each agreement before importing.

Choose up to 4 (3 chosen)

Stay in the loop

Get notified when we publish new articles, updates, and organic guides. No spam, just honest content, straight to your inbox.

Compare certifications · Organic.is