At present, a growing number of people take interest and have confidence in organic items. We can easily catch it at the supermarket or grocery store with a variety of types, ranging from fresh commodities such as fish, vegetables, and fruit to processed goods like cereal or milk. The launch of organic certification is among the most important criteria that contribute to the guarantee of the value of organic products.
So what does organic certification mean?
First, we need to understand what organic products are.
Organic foods are foods produced by the methods and standards of organic agriculture. These products are devoid of chemicals or have very little content. Currently, there has been no official conclusion about the priority of organic foods over the usual foods in safety and hygiene. However, several experiments prove that the nutritional content in organic foods is often higher and more beneficial. Specifically, higher levels of antioxidants in organic foods help safeguard the body from pathogenic cells, especially cancer.
What is organic certification?
Organic certification issue to products to confirm that the product is organic, depending on its organic level. Each organic accreditations has its strict requirements from seed, water, biodiversity, materials or organic inputs, etc.
Take a look at top prestige organic certificates in the world
1. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic Certification.
USDA is the most stringent organic certificate. To receive the USDA Organic certificate, products must get full approval of the following requirements:
- 95-100% of the materials used are organic.
- Organic materials must be grown on plots that are free from pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and crops harvested three years before.
- It is strictly prohibited to not use materials that cause genetic modification, radiation, and radioactive radiation.
- The Department of Raw Material Research must meet strict standards for the manufacture of compounds from organic materials.
2. Australia Certificated Organic (ACO)
ACO products are classified into several levels.
- Products with at least 95% of organic ingredients are certified Organic
- Only certified as Made With Organic Ingredients if products contain more than 70% organic ingredients.
- Material showed on the label if products contain less than 70% organic material.
3. EU Organic Certification
The European Union enacts strict standards for organic food production, as well as, a series of intense monitoring at every phase of the organic production chain. Organic products that are imported from outside the EU must have a certificate of censorship issued by the EU.
4. JAS
Criteria of JAS certification requires:
- Organic growing area: Do not allow to use of agricultural chemicals or chemical fertilizers for at least two years before planting.
- Fertilizers: Using organic fertilizer from residues in the area and take advantage of microorganisms in the area or surrounding areas.
- Seeds and plants: Only use organic seeds and plants. Genetically modified types in production are completely banned.
Organic agriculture in Vietnam.
Organic production has become an indispensable trend of global agriculture and Viet Nam is no exception. Vietnamese agriculture step by step speed up the development of organic farming, consider it a sustainable path to conquer potential markets over the world.
Some remarkable numbers
Vietnam currently has 40 provinces producing organic farming with nearly 23,400 ha. 97.5% of the organic farming area following standards of EU, USA, Japan with main products such as vegetables, fruits, and tea. In 2018, the EU imported over 3 million tons of organic foods. Vietnam placed 39th in terms of export volume to Europe with nearly 13,000 tons. The proportion of EU organic products imported with 24% is fruits, nuts, and spices; 22% is cereal and others.
Adversities
However, organic agriculture in Vietnam must embrace many challenges. The major of household manufacture in private farming, making it difficult to gather the area for organic specialization.
Organic items often sell 1.5 to 2 times higher than regular products. As a result, “output” faces many problems because of the high cost of organic certification, the prolongation of the certification period, as well as the limited consumer market.
The future of organic production in Vietnam
As Vietnam is in the tropical climate zone with a high presumption level, the production can be carried out quite quickly. Besides, biotechnology is widely applied in cultivation. The function of bio-organic fertilizer, environmental treatment products, or many probiotics medicines can effectively replace chemical drugs in plant protection. The abundant source of the labor force is also a great advantage in the production of organic products in our country.
According to many economic experts, Vietnam has the huge potential to export organic products, especially to large European markets.
The expenditure of organic commodities in the EU increases spiraling year by year, but it accompanies many rigorous standards such as labeling, packaging, etc. On the other hand, Vietnam – EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) promises to promote this field for both sides, build the product distribution system to ensure long-term quality.
Eco-Fruits works closely with local farmers across Vietnam to ensure product quality. We’re capable of providing high -quality organic products at a reasonable price to many markets around the globe. Contact us for quotations and collaborating opportunities.
