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'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
JAS Organic logo
JAS Organic
Japan · Tier 1 Gold
Fairtrade International logo
Fairtrade International
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
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.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.Certifies fair prices and conditions for producers in developing countries — not organic, not environmental. Common on coffee, cocoa, sugar, bananas, tea.
ScopeSeveral categoriesFoodFood
Established—20011997
InspectionNoneAnnual on-site by MAFF-registered certifierAnnual on-site by FLOCERT (independent of Fairtrade International)
Residue testingNoneRequired for high-risk operationsNot for organic — Fairtrade alone doesn't test residues
Guarantees
  • 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.
  • 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.
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.
  • Mutual recognition with the US, EU, and Canada applies to specific product categories — check each agreement before importing.
  • Doesn't mean organic — many Fairtrade products are conventionally grown. A separate Fairtrade-Organic dual certification exists.

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