For example, a producer may say they do not use chemical fertilisers or pesticides in their field. A person may grow vegetables in their own garden without using any chemicals.
How these products are produced certainly matters. But being described as natural is not the same as being a certified organic product under the regulations.
Understanding this distinction is important, especially for consumers and commercial buyers purchasing organic products.
What does organic product mean?
An organic product is not simply a product made without certain inputs.
Organic production is a system of production and trade in which defined rules are applied from production and processing to storage and trade, and compliance with these rules is verified by an authorised inspection and certification system.
So for a product to be marketed as organic, simply claiming a production method is not enough.
The product must fall within the relevant organic regulations and certification system.
So what is a natural product?
The word “natural” can be used with different meanings in everyday language.
It may be said that a product was produced by natural methods, without chemical inputs, or with minimal processing.
But these expressions alone do not show that the product officially holds organic certification.
In other words:
Every organic product is subject to defined organic rules and a certification system; but not every product described as natural is a certified organic product.
Is produce grown in a home garden organic?
This is one of the most commonly confused points.
A person not using pesticides or synthetic fertilisers when growing vegetables or fruit in their own garden may be a positive approach to production.
But this alone does not give the produce the official status of a “certified organic product”.
Because organic production is assessed not only by the inputs used, but together with the production process, the inspection system, records and certification requirements.
That is why there is an important difference between produce grown in a home garden and a product produced within certified organic agriculture.
This does not mean home-grown produce is necessarily bad or unhealthy. It simply shows that the word “organic” corresponds to an official system of production and certification.
Why does this distinction matter in trade?
For a commercial buyer, a product being organic is not something that can rest on the producer’s declaration alone.
Which production system the product comes from, which certification scope it falls within and the validity of the related documents must be known.
Especially in international trade, the target market’s organic regulations and the certification scope requested by the customer are assessed separately.
At Biosmyrna, we treat this distinction as a basic principle in organic product trade. When sourcing products, we assess the source, organic status and relevant certification scope together.
Being organic is not a claim but a verifiable system
A product looking natural, or its producer saying no chemicals were used, does not prove that the product is officially organic.
Behind the concept of an organic product are production rules, inspection, records and certification.
Being natural may describe a production approach; being organic refers to a system defined by specific rules and verified for compliance.
Knowing this distinction is one of the first steps in correctly assessing the right product in organic product trade.
