What is Organic Certification?

What Is Organic Certification?

NASAA Certified Organic (NCO) is Australia’s most internationally recognised organic certification label. You can tell at a glance that we are NCO by the green spring leaf labels on our produce. But what exactly does it mean, and why should you look for products that are Certified Organic?

What Is Organic Produce?

Organic practices consider their impact on the health and well-being of people, the environment, and the wider community. Farming and agriculture are carried out in an environmentally sustainable and   socially responsible way. Practices include:

  • Promoting biodiversity, ecosystems, soil regeneration, and animal welfare
  • Preventing soil erosion
  • Conserving water, energy, and resources
  • Avoiding the use of synthetic or artificially produced insecticides, herbicides, fertilisers, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

In essence, organic practices combine tradition, innovation, and science to benefit the environment and promote fair relationships, while minimising the negative effects.

If you want to be certain that the product you are buying is Certified Organic, look out for the spring green leaf logo. Only operators that are certified by NCO can use this label on their produce. NCO is the subsidiary certification company of The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA). NCO certification means that the produce has been validated by a third party as being Certified Organic.

What Does Certified Organic Mean?

Anyone can use the term ‘organic’ for their product. But for an item to be Certified Organic, the producer, processor, or vendor must be certified by an independent third-party certifier such as NCO.

When you see the NASAA Organic Label on a product, you can be sure that it is certified to the highest standard available in Australia — and one of the most respected standards in the world. Those products have been produced in line with strict national and industry Organic and Biodynamic Standards, and their organic integrity has been third-party verified.

Why We Need NASAA Organic Certification

With NASAA Organic Certification, we are allowed to display NASAA’s spring leaf label logo, which is a nationally recognised symbol of trust, reliability, and integrity. Certification gains us entry to the Australian organic market and all regulated and unregulated organic markets around the world, including the USA, European Union, Japan, China, and Canada. Some organic markets are difficult to access without NASAA Certification.

In addition, we get a high level of support from NCO. For example, we have access to a national network of accredited and trained organic inspectors and a team of technical experts, and we are kept up to date about regulatory changes. All of these things make us proud to be able to produce the finest organic products in Australia.



Reference

Organic Certification Explained (NASAA)