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	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing	Nordic Swan Ecolabel Nordic Countries · Tier 3 Specialty	Canada Organic Biologique Canada · 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.	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.	The federal Canadian organic standard, mandatory on any agricultural product sold across provincial borders or imported as 'organic'.	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	—	1989	2009	2010
Inspection	None	On-site + product review by national Ecolabel office	Annual on-site by CFIA-accredited certifier	Annual third-party audit + lab testing
Residue testing	None	Risk-based per category	Risk-based, conducted by accredited certifiers	GMO testing only (not pesticide)
Guarantees	Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.	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.	≥95% organic ingredients (single-ingredient products: 100%). No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs, no irradiation. Annual third-party certification under the Canada Organic Regime.	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.	Doesn't certify food as organic — Nordic Swan on a food package means lower-environmental-impact, not 'no synthetic pesticides'.	Provincial sales-only operations are not legally required to carry it (though many do voluntarily).	Doesn't mean organic — Non-GMO products can use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers freely.

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