How to get ‘India Organic’ Certification

India Organic Certification is a label given to organic products after validation, which ensures that the product or raw materials used in the product were grown through organic farming - without any chemical fertilizers,  pesticides, or induced hormones. A trademark - "India Organic" will be granted on the basis of compliance with the National Standards for Organic Production (NSOP).

Communicating the genuineness as well as the origin of the product, this trademark will be owned by the Government of India. The National Standards for Organic Products was established in 2000 which ensures the authenticity of the organic product. The certification is issued by testing centers accredited by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the National Program for Organic Production of the Government of India. In spite of the formation of the certification board in 2000, the scheme came into existence in the year 2002 which provides this mark to the real organics. 

Certifying Agency:    APEDA 

Effective since:         2002 

Product category:     Organic food 

Legal status:             Advisory 

How to get Organic Certification label?

In order to get the label first, you need to book an organic certification agent and fill your agent’s application form and put them in. Now that the agent will review your application and decide whether your product stands as per the guidelines for authentication and are in compliance with NOP regulations and standards, the inspection of the site will be arranged by him.  And the remaining process will be provided with a label after satisfaction. 

What is the cost of this label? 

The total cost of this label will be calculated depending on application fee, site inspection fee and an annual certification fee which can be between 10,000-60,000 depending on the type of product, size of the production operation and the accredited agency one chooses  

What is considered to get this certification? 

The farm or the product to get the certification needs to be associated with the authenticity since two to three years. For first time certification, the soil must meet the basic requirements of being free from the use of prohibited substances (synthetic chemicals, etc) for a number of years. A conventional farm must adhere to organic standards for this period then only it will fall under this category. 

What’s the difference between USDA and ‘India organic’ certifications? 

The USDA label actually stands for the verification of the organic product in terms of their organic standards that describe the specific requirements that must be verified by USDA accredited agent before products can be labeled as USDA organic whereas ‘India organic’ is a label given to organic products after validation that ensures that the product or the raw materials used were grown through organic farming, without the use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or induced hormones. 

Can GMO products get this certification? 

No, it’s totally prohibited. It means an organic farmer can’t grow GMO crops and products. The GMO seeds can’t be used. Like for example if a cow is organic it can’t eat GMO feed and any organic product should not include GMO products as their ingredients. 

To conclude, 'India Organic' logo celebrates the essence of nature. Symbolizing the rhythm of cosmic and earth forces represented by the blue and brown waves of force and energy, these forces work in harmony upon the earth's environment and this rhythm is reinforced and supported by the green plant growth. The colors used have a special significance in the logo concept. The cosmic force in blue symbolizes universal purity. Richness of soil, nourished with natural ingredients in organic farming, is symbolized by the earth forces in golden brown. The plant in green uses the colour of nature and natural products untouched by chemicals. The blue background is symbolic of earth's environment that is congenial for life to thrive in and is also free of pollution and harmful chemicals India Organic etched over the surface authenticates the carrier as "Organic" and also establishes the Indian connection for all the carriers of the mark. Beautifully synthesizing all the elements of our environment, the logo also communicates total adherence to the National Organic Standards.