Does Fair Trade Mean Organic?
No. Fair Trade USA™ and Organic Certified are different organizations and have different standards. Though products can have both certifications, brands pursuing both must go through each certification process separately. Fair Trade Certification focuses on ethical trade standards, environmental action, and community development. Organic certification focuses on growing process of food as it relates to pesticides, animal welfare, and other environmental factors.
To better understand the difference between organic and Fair Trade Certified products, let’s take a closer look at what each certification actually means—starting with Fair Trade Certified™ and then exploring Organic Certified standards.
What Does It Mean to Be Fair Trade Certified™?
Fair Trade Certification requires safe working conditions on certified farms, factories, and fisheries. The Fair Trade model also distributes Community Development Funds, which are funds that go directly to workers to be used on projects of their choosing. These funds often support projects related to education, food distribution, business opportunities, and community bonding. All Fair Trade Certified products follow rigorous standards which put workers first and empower meaningful climate action that protects our planet.
What Does It Mean to Be Organic Certified?
Organic Certification focuses on the growing process for food. When something is Organic Certified, it means that the product has been verified to meet specific organic farming and production standards set by a recognized regulatory body, such as the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) in the United States or EU Organic in Europe. There are many different organizations that offer organic certification, and most feature two key requirements:
- No synthetic chemicals, including pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or GMOs are used in the growing process. This also means a priority on natural processes like crop rotation.
- Animal welfare standards, like raising animals in conditions that accommodate natural behaviors like grazing and using organic feed with no antibiotics or growth hormones.