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USDA Organic logo
USDA Organic
United States · Tier 1 Gold
Soil Association Organic logo
Soil Association Organic
United Kingdom · Tier 2 Trusted
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'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
What it meansThe 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.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 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.
ScopeFoodSeveral categoriesSeveral categories
Established20021946—
InspectionAnnual on-site by USDA-accredited certifierAnnual on-site, UKAS-accreditedNone
Residue testingRequired on ≥5% of operations annuallyRisk-basedNone
Guarantees
  • 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.
  • Stricter-than-baseline organic standards across food, textiles, cosmetics, and farming.
  • Annual on-site inspection.
  • Animal welfare standards (outdoor access, lower stocking density).
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
Does NOT
  • 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.
  • Logo is trademarked — not a free-licence mark.
  • 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.

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