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	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing	JAS Organic Japan · Tier 1 Gold	Soil Association Organic United Kingdom · Tier 2 Trusted	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold
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.	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 UK's largest organic certifier. Standards are stricter than the UK government's baseline (which still mirrors EU 2018/848 post-Brexit). Recognised by the EU and USA under equivalence.	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.
Scope	Several categories	Food	Several categories	Food
Established	—	2001	1946	2002
Inspection	None	Annual on-site by MAFF-registered certifier	Annual on-site, UKAS-accredited	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier
Residue testing	None	Required for high-risk operations	Risk-based	Required on ≥5% of operations annually
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.	Stricter-than-baseline organic standards across food, textiles, cosmetics, and farming. Annual on-site inspection. Animal welfare standards (outdoor access, lower stocking density).	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.
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.	Logo is trademarked — not a free-licence mark.	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.

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