More money is spent on organic vegetables in order to be safer and more comfortable, but sometimes it is not necessarily “buy right”。
With the label “zero farmer” organically becomes the consumption option for a healthy diet for an increasing number of people. However, a survey by the beijing journal of commerce and industry found that although organic codes are the only legal documents for organic vegetables, they are not absolute 100 per cent organic. In the face of rapidly expanding organic food demand and organic certification markets, the problem of non-conformity of product sampling and irregularities by certification bodies is not uncommon。
On the electrician platform, there are grey trades associated with organic markings and organic certification. For example, organic certification services, which are priced at $10 to $100, typically start at a value of $10,000, with specific fee lines based on the market credibility and stringentness of the corresponding certification body, which involve the production of materials, applications for certification, on-site inspection, sample inspection, site overhaul and certification. The core value of organic vegetable consumption, as a service consumption focused on green and healthy up-to-date household consumption, lies in the supply of full-chain quality services such as organic farming technical services behind them, professional certification traceability services and cold chain fresh distribution services. Only through the development of a chain-wide governance pattern of “source strict control, certification stringentness, circulation tightness, law enforcement tightness, consumer oversight” can the chaos of “marking” “certification discharge” be broken, so that organic certification is truly endorsed for quality and organic inputs are valued。
According to the consumer rights and protection act of the people's republic of china, if a consumer encounters organic vegetables “unsatisfied”, he has the right to claim a “triple refund” (less than $500 in the amount of $500). In the event that agricultural residues or heavy metals are detected to exceed the standard, the consumer may also claim, under the food safety law of the people's republic of china, “a tenfold or three times the price of the price or loss (less than 1,000 yuan at 1,000 yuan)。
The price is not a rule
Organic code is the only legal document
According to our national standard gb/t1930-2019 " requirements for the system of production, processing, marking and management of organic products " , in general, organic vegetables are those produced using a range of sustainable agricultural techniques, in accordance with international standards for organic agricultural production, without the use of genetically engineered organisms and their products, without the use of substances such as chemically synthesized pesticides, fertilizers, hormones and other growth regulators. They must be certified by an independent organic food certification body before using organic food labelling。
As a result of stringent planting standards, consumers generally believe that the price of organic vegetables tends to be higher than that of ordinary vegetables. Beijing business press journalists visited a number of large businesses in beijing city and found that market prices were not regulated. In an ole supermarket, one of 400 g's organic potatoes was sold at $16. 9 (us$ 4. 23/100g) and one of 500 g's ordinary potatoes was sold at $4. 9 (us$ 0. 98/100g). The price of organic potatoes was 4. 3 times the normal potato price at the same grams. However, higher prices are not the criteria for the determination of organic vegetables, and there are instances where some organic vegetables are priced at the same or even inverted prices as ordinary vegetables. For example, at the above-mentioned ole supermarket, 250 g of organic violet vegetables were sold at $13. 9 (us$ 5. 56/100 g) and 200 g of ordinary violet vegetables at $15. 9 (us$ 7. 95/100g), converted to 100 g of organic purple. The lettuce is 2. 39 less expensive than the regular violet。
“in terms of appearance and price alone, it is not possible to determine accurately whether a particular vegetable is a real organic vegetable. For organic products that are legally sold and sold in compliance on the market, china must have certification marks for organic products, certification bodies and organic codes. Of these, organic codes, which are mandatory, unique and retroactivity codes of the state, are created by the certification body in accordance with the uniform rules for the purpose of marking each organicly certified product, equivalent to its `electronic identity card', and are the only legal documents for identifying organic vegetables.” dr. Chu lijun, secretary-general, rural renewal project department, national institute of jail research, and director general, springhill branch, tianjin hengkali international trade company ltd., stated。
However, juli kwok stressed that organic codes are the only legal documents for organic vegetables, but they are not absolute proof of 100 per cent organic. The formalization of organic vegetables cannot be determined solely by the availability of organic codes. Consumers are expected to further access the china food and agricultural products certification information system for organic code validation, as well as to confirm that the certification body is a legitimate body approved by the national accreditation and recognition supervisory board (hereinafter referred to as the national commission for recognition and supervision)。
It is worth noting that, in recent years, the results of a spot-check on the validity of certification of organic products conducted by the general directorate of market supervision (hereinafter referred to as the general directorate of market supervision) indicate that several batches of organic vegetables with organic codes have been found to be ineligible, while certification bodies that have certified some organic vegetables have also been found to have committed irregularities such as failure to conduct on-site verification, reduction of certification procedures, and circulation of audits。
Beijing business press journalists observed that organic certification services were still being provided to the market by certification bodies that had been tested for non-conformity of certified products and that had been punished for certification irregularities。
For example, organic dolls sold at an ole supermarket are certified by hangzhou vantaa limited and organic fruit glycerine sold at a horse market. Blue was certified by the beijing china allynon accreditation centre ltd. Both of the above-mentioned certification bodies were notified by the general directorate of market supervision because of the non-conformity of the certification of the type of organic fungi product。
It has also been observed from heaven that the accreditation body for organic green vegetables and organic pea seedlings at the box ma supermarket, wahshawar technological co. Ltd. In beijing (hereinafter referred to as “wawashawar tate”), was fined 60,000 yuan in april 2019 for violating article 22 of the regulations of the people's republic of china on accreditation recognition. In may 2018, according to media reports, an organic food company accredited by yue wah hao was exposed for non-compliance with production, and in that month yue wah hao announced the cancellation of the above-mentioned organic food company's accreditation for organic products and the withdrawal of seven organic certification certificates。
Grey chain
Hypothetical sign overlays "fixed code" "variable code"
Why should the organic code be further identified as the only legal document
According to chu lijun, the development of organic agriculture has been driven by high market prices for organic products, despite the difficulty and cost of growing them, as well as by a number of subsidies for organic agriculture in recent years. Some enterprises and certification bodies engage in irregularities in order to gain greater profit space, especially in the context of organic certification for sampling and inspection, and even more in the form of forgery of organic symbols。
A survey by beijing business press found that there was a blatant sale of material and customized services for the “china organics certification mark” on an electrician platform. It is known that it sells a source document for the design of the ai vector format for chinese organic products at a price of $3. To date, the commodity has been paid for by 20 people and is the product of the store's “black money”。
In further consultations with beijing business journal reporters as consumers, the other side indicated that, in addition to selling source documents, there was also a proficient organic label printing service, which required first checking the buyer's organic certification (or organic certification certificate) and that “fixed code” “variable code” could be done, but “variable code” was more expensive and the price of the service was different depending on the size of the label. For example, an organic label with a circle size of 3 cm in diameter is ordered at 10,000 start-ups for a "fixed code" at a total price of $300 at a sales price of 0. 03 for each and a "variable code" at a total cost of $1,100 at a sales price of 0. 11 for each。
In addition, beijing business journal journalists found that businesses with specialized vector-mapping production could also produce electronic maps of the “china organics certification mark”. The customer service staff at the store indicated that a $10 consultancy fee would be required, and the system would automatically match the professional designer to discuss the details of the production and the price, and the follow-up consultancy fee would be refunded at a negotiated rate. “the minimum manual cost for drawings according to the `china organic product certification marker' (logo) is 30. If printing is also required, or if false organic labels are made, the relevant vendors can then be searched directly on the electrician platform and there are specialized shops.”
According to article 32 of the organic product certification management scheme issued by the general directorate of market supervision, china's organic product certification logo should be used within the categories, scope and number of products specified in the certificate. The certification body shall carry out a unique number (organ code) for each certification sign, in accordance with the numbering rules harmonized by the national directorate of market supervision, and adopt effective anti-false and retroactive techniques to ensure that each certification mark issued can be traced back to the certification certificate to which it corresponds and to the certified product and its production and processing unit。
In addition, article 46 of the organic products certification scheme stipulates that the local market supervision authorities at the county level and above shall impose penalties in accordance with laws and administrative regulations, such as the law of the people's republic of china on the quality of products and the law of the people's republic of china on the inspection of imports and exports of commodities and its implementing regulations, in cases of forgery, fraudulent use or illegal trade in certified marks。
Authenticate sub-rules hidden
Charged by the chargé d ' affaires by agency
Organic certification of grey transactions in the services of the chargé d ' affaires is more hidden than organic marking customization and organic labelling services。
According to incomplete statistics, the price of organic certification services on the electrician platform is between $10 and $100. The beijing journalist consulted several vendors as consumers and was informed that the actual cost of osra services was generally a start-up of 10,000 yuan, with the main processes being material production, accreditation applications, on-site inspection, sample inspection, site improvement and certification. As a rule, prior consultancy fees and soil and water inspection fees are included in the overall service fee, but on-site travel of the staff of the testing agency and subsequent organic labelling costs require additional payments from the enterprise。
According to one vendor to beijing business press, osra services are not uniformly priced, but are based on the “scaling” of the corresponding certification body, which is primarily based on its market credibility and rigorous testing. For example, the first tranche corresponds to the highly recognized industry head agency, nanjing national center for certification of organic products ltd., for which the initial cost of certification is 15,000 yuan; the second tranche to the central green national certificate (beijing) accreditation centre ltd., for which the full cost of certification is nearly 20,000 yuan; and the third tranche to the national institute for testing and technology ltd., for which the total cost of certification is around 15,000 yuan。
“`to spend a lot of money on small things', all who can help solve them will find a way to solve them.” the above-mentioned business stressed that the biggest difference between institutional accreditation and accreditation by the chargé d ' affaires is that the chargé d ' affaires is familiar with the rules and can help in a timely manner if problems arise during the testing process. Moreover, the certification bodies they recommend are not only cheaper, but also faster overall。
In their investigations, beijing business correspondents also found that organic certification proxies often do not recommend the selection of the highest-ranking certification authority, and more recommend institutions that test relatively loosely and closely with themselves。
A consultant for the “organization” service indicated that his agency was in contact with the beijing five continents certification ltd. Applying for a certificate for organic products in the cucumber class by one of the applicant's subjects, cultivation is rotated twice a year (twice inspection) without travel expenses, and the cost of issuing the next certificate is $14,000。
According to a circular from the general directorate of market supervision, a total of 11 samples of products did not meet the certification requirements in march 2025 when the general directorate carried out a spot check on the validity of 150 batches of products covered by 40 certification bodies in the field of organic product certification. Of these, four batches of organic products were certified by the pentecostal company limited in beijing。
Also reported by the jiangsu provincial market supervisory authority on the results of the 2022 “two random, one public” monitoring inspection of organic product certification, the sample revealed problems with eight organic product certification bodies, including the beijing five continents certification ltd. According to the circular, the “recorder” or “head” “operator” of the agricultural records provided by jiangsu nam lumi industries ltd., certified through the organic products of the beijing five-henong cone certification company, are “good wishes” and “good wishes” are not internal employees of the enterprise, but rather those who assist the enterprise in the certification of organic products。
Move from “re-certification” to “re-regulation”
Fraudulent authentication incorporated into the credit regulatory system
Our market for organic products is growing in size and, according to china's organic products certification and development of organic industries (2025), our sales of organic products amounted to $124. 7 billion in 2024, an increase of 22. 79 per cent over the same period。
In the case of organic vegetables, “what kind of vegetables is really organic” “where organic vegetables are purchased” is always the subject of debate among consumers on social platforms. Some consumers have spoken out and spent more on organic vegetables in order to be more secure and secure, but sometimes “buys expensive” is not necessarily “buys right”。
In response, the senior partner of yingko law office, beijing, advised that if a consumer is found to have purchased a fake organic product, he may claim a refund of three (less than $500 for payment of $500) and 10 times or three times the price (less than $1,000 for payment of $1,000 for payment) under the food safety law of the people's republic of china, if he detects agricultural disability or heavy metal excesses。
“the root cause of the `signal fraud' `certification of water discharges' in the organic market is the fact that there are systemic gaps in the four main components of certification regulatory systems, production process norms, allocation of legal responsibilities, and traceability and enforcement mechanisms.” zhou is of the view that process control and input management need to be refined at the production stage and that at the certification stage, access thresholds and process regulation need to be tightened further。
At present, the national commission for the recognition of organic products has issued a new version of the rules for the implementation of organic product certification, which became operational on 1 january 2026. Among these, priority changes include strengthening the management of certification bodies and personnel, refining certification requirements, strengthening post-certification controls and regulating the content of certification formats。
Zhou qianquin indicated that, at the production stage, the new regulations strengthen post-certification supervision and require the application of no less than 10 per cent of unannounced inspections and sample testing in circulation areas to the licensed organizations, thus forcing production enterprises to regulate process management. At the same time, with regard to products allowed for use in organic production (e. G. Biopesticides), the directorate general of markets is optimizing the mechanism for the management of input assessment and promoting international integration with a view to providing producers with a more scientific and efficient list of inputs and technically regulating production processes. In the certification chain, the new rules have also significantly raised the threshold of access to certification, requiring the accreditation body to conduct environmental conformity determinations at the processing point, and reinforcing the requirements for the professional competence of the certifying officer。
“the most important thing is to strengthen the regulation of the source, the producer and the mouth. Testing inputs are not too low, and firms can build their own testing institutions, but the other parts of their actual production, if over-detected, are a waste of resources.” senior observers in the domestic retail industry have expressed their willingness to do so。
In addition, in the marketing chain, zhou qianqin suggested that the system of traceability and market inspections need to be linked more closely to facilitate the matching and sharing of data between the national platform for the traceability of agricultural products and the platform of the market regulatory authorities, as well as to strengthen the obligation of inspection of imports by sellers, requiring them to be able to provide certification and marketing certificates for organic products sold. Clear platform responsibilities need to be identified for such channels as electricians, live broadcasts and microbusinesses, such as, for example, the legal responsibility of the platform for the certification, marking and testing of organic products; joint and several liability of the platform for non-compliance with its auditing obligations or for knowing that the sale is not stopped. In terms of penalties, a more stringent mechanism for the withdrawal of certification bodies could be established, trade bans imposed on serious offenders could be imposed, while fraudulent certifications, genuine commingling and so on could be incorporated into the credit control system, joint penalties imposed and the cost of violations significantly increased。
Our organic product regulatory system is also moving from “re-certification” to “re-regulation”. In january 2026, the superintendence of markets issued an opinion on the criteria for determining the seriousness of falsifying tests or proofs by the products quality inspection agency, making it clear that five categories of cases fall within the category of “serious circumstances” provided for in article 57, paragraph 1, of the law of the people's republic of china on the quality of products, which includes cases in which an administrative penalty has been imposed for forgery of the results of tests or for issuing false certificates in two years, and where the same type of offence has been committed. In the case of illegal institutions that meet the above conditions, the market regulator will be legally disqualified from the examination and will be required to be included in the list of serious breach of the law for market supervision and management, and will impose joint interdepartmental penalties。
The data show that in recent years, the general directorate of market supervision has continuously stepped up its supervision in the field of inspection and detection, seriously detecting “falsification” by inspection agencies. In 2025, 4221 violations were investigated and 403 test certificates were withdrawn。
“the landing of the new version of the rules for the implementation of organic product certification, the introduction of a digitalized retroactive system, and the ongoing `two random, one open' monitoring of certification bodies and certified enterprises are expected to create a chain-wide chain-of-custody chain of custody closed. It really makes consumers "fruit and eat well."。
