National Organic Program | Agricultural Marketing Service

IMPORTING ORGANIC PRODUCTS INTO THE U.S.

December 2016

Organic agriculture is a fast growing sector in U.S. agriculture, creating jobs, economic growth, and entrepreneurial opportunities. The 

National Organic Program (NOP), part of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), establishes international organic import and 

export policies to facilitate trade and expand market opportunities for certified organic farms and businesses around the world. 

Imported organic products must be certified to one of the 

following standards to be sold in the United States:

1. The USDA organic regulations

USDA authorizes organizations around the world to certify 

farms and businesses to the USDA organic regulations. 

Learn about the certification process and view a list of 

accredited certifiers at: www.ams.usda.gov/services/

organic-certification/becoming-certified.

2. An authorized international standard

The U.S. has established organic trade arrangements with 

Canada, the European Union, Japan, Republic of Korea 

and Switzerland. These arrangements help food producers 

located in the U.S. import organic ingredients that are not 

produced within the U.S. View details: www.ams.usda.gov/

NOPInternationalAgreements.

CANADA

Effective June 30, 2009: Products produced worldwide and 

certified to the Canada Organic Products Regulations can be 

sold as organic in the U.S. 

Terms of the Arrangement. To trade products under the 

partnership, certified operations must:

- Produce livestock without the use of antibiotics.

- Ship imports with documentation that states, “Certified 

in compliance with the terms of the US-Canada Organic 

Equivalency Arrangement.” 

Labeling Requirements. Products must comply with the USDA 

organic labeling requirements. For packaged retail products, 

labels or stickers must state, “Certified Organic By (insert name 

of Canadian certifier),” and may display the USDA organic seal 

and/or the Canada organic logo.

EUROPEAN UNION (EU)

Effective June 1, 2012: Products certified to the EU organic 

standards can be sold as organic in the U.S.

Products must be either produced or have had final processing 

or packaging occur within the EU.

Terms of the Arrangement. To trade products under the 

partnership, certified operations must:

- Produce livestock, or a product that includes ingredients 

derived from organic livestock, without the use of antibiotics.

- Meet additional specifications for wine.

- Ship imports with an NOP Import Certificate and organic 

certificate completed by an EU-authorized certification body.

Excluded Products. Aquatic animals.

Labeling Requirements. Products must comply with the USDA 

organic labeling requirements. For packaged retail products, 

labels or stickers must state, “Certified Organic By (insert name 

of EU certification body),” and may display the USDA organic 

seal and/or the EU organic logo. 

JAPAN

Effective January 1, 2014: Plants, including mushrooms, and 

plant-based processed products (such as grape juice or corn 

meal) certified to the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) can 

be sold as organic in the U.S.

Products must be either produced or have had final processing 

or packaging occur within Japan.

Terms of the Arrangement. Only plant and plant-based 

products are covered under the trade arrangement. To trade 

products under the partnership, certified operations must:

- Ship imports with an NOP Import Certificate and organic 

certificate completed by a JAS-authorized certifier.

Labeling Requirements. Products must comply with the USDA 

organic labeling requirements. For packaged retail products, 

labels or stickers must state, “Certified Organic By (insert name 

of JAS certifier),” and may display the USDA organic seal and/or 

the Japanese organic logo. 

Excluded Products. Non-plant-based products, such as meat, 

dairy products and alcoholic beverages, are outside the scope 

of the trade arrangement and need to be certified to the USDA 

organic standards.
IMPORTING ORGANIC PRODUCTS INTO THE U.S. (continued)

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Effective June 1, 2014: Processed food products certified to the 

Korean organic regulations can be sold as organic in the U.S.

Products must have had final processing occur in Korea.

Terms of the Arrangement. To trade products under the 

partnership, certified operations must:

- Produce “processed food products” as defined by the Korean 

Food Code (see www.ams.usda.gov/NOPTradeKorea).

- Produce products with at least 95 percent organic ingredients.

- Be sure products do contain ingredients derived from 

animals produced with the use of antibiotics.

- Ship imports with an NOP Import Certificate and an organic 

certificate completed by a Ministry of Agriculture, Food and 

Rural Affairs (MAFRA)-accredited certification body. The NOP 

Import Certificate must state, “Certified in compliance with 

the terms of the US-Korea Organic Equivalency Arrangement.” 

Excluded Products. Non-processed agricultural products, 

such as fresh pears or onions, are outside the scope of the 

arrangement and need to be certified to the USDA organic 

standards.

Labeling Requirements. Products must comply with the USDA 

organic labeling requirements. For packaged retail products, 

labels or stickers must state, “Certified Organic By (insert name 

of Korean certification body),” and may display the USDA 

organic seal and/or the MAFRA organic seal. 

SWITZERLAND

Effective July 10, 2015: Products certified to the Swiss organic 

ordinances can be sold as organic in the U.S.

Products must be either produced or have had final processing 

or packaging occur within Switzerland.

Terms of the Arrangement. To trade products under the 

partnership, certified operations must:

- Produce livestock, or a product that includes ingredients 

derived from organic livestock, without antibiotics.

- Product and label organic wine to the regulations of the 

importing country.

- Ship imports with an NOP Import Certificate and an organic 

certificate completed by a Swiss-authorized certification body.

Labeling Requirements. Products must comply with the USDA 

organic labeling requirements. For packaged retail products, 

labels or stickers must state, “Certified Organic By (insert name 

of Swiss certification body),” and may display the USDA organic 

seal. The Swiss Government does not administer an organic seal.

GENERAL IMPORT REQUIREMENTS

In addition to organic requirements, traded agricultural 

products must meet all general or commodity-specific import 

requirements. U.S. importers and customs services can provide 

detailed guidance. 

Labeling. Organic products sold in the U.S. must meet all 

Federal labeling requirements (general and organic).

Import Codes. For certain organic products, traders must use 

harmonized tariff schedule codes for tracking purposes.

http://bit.ly/organic-codes2

Grading. Imported agricultural commodities must often meet 

product size, grade, quality, and maturity requirements.

www.ams.usda.gov

Health Inspection. Shipments must include permits, sanitary 

certificates (animal products), and phytosanitary certificates 

(plant products) to ensure the product is healthy and free from 

pests requiring quarantine. www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export

Meat, Poultry, and Processed Egg Products. The USDA only 

allows imported meat, poultry, and processed egg products 

from countries with inspection standards equivalent to U.S. 

standards. http://bit.ly/imports-fsis

IDENTIFYING ORGANIC PRODUCTS

If an organic logo (see below) is not on the exterior of the 

shipping box, shippers should review the: 

- Document (e.g. bill of lading) detailing sales of organic 

goods and specifying terms of delivery.

- Commercial invoice representing a complete record of the 

business transaction.

- Any import/export certificate or attestations, as required 

(see above).

- Organic certificate(s)

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIC LOGOS

United States Canada European Union

There is no Swiss

organic seal

Japan Korea Switzerland