STANDARDSMAP.ORG
Chinese National Organic Products Certification
Head Office:
No.9 Madian Donglu
Haidian District
Beijing 100088,
China
+86 (0)10-82262609
webmaster@sac.gov.cn
www.sac.gov.cn
FACTS & FIGURES
FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES
• More than 28000 certificates have been issued
• Certified operators in 13 countries
• 23 accredited certification bodies
Disclaimer: the graph was generated using the proportion of the
sustainability initiative’s requirements matching the criteria used in
Standards Map Database in consultation with standard organizations.
WHAT IS THE IFOAM STANDARD?
WHO CAN JOIN?
Chinese National Organic Product Certification Program is a
government project that aims to protect ecological environment
and enhance the quality of organic products.
The standard system consists of Chinese National Organic
Product Standard (GB/T 19630-2011 Part1-Part 4), which sets
out basic norms for organic production, processing, labeling,
marketing and management system, as well as relevant organic
certification regulations, in which certification procedure,
requirements for CBs and the use of label are defined.
The organic product certification is governed and supervised
by the national authority Certification and Accreditation
Administration of the People s Republic of China (CNCA).
The initiative is open to all agricultre operators.
WHAT PRODUCTS ARE COVERED?
The standard covers organic production of crops, mushroom,
wild collection, animal husbandry, aquiculture, beekeeping,
textile, etc.
For detailed information about this and other standards check out: Standardsmap.org
WHAT ARE THE KEY FEATURES?
Chinese National Organic Product Standard is based on
international norms with added emphasis on contamination by
pollutants and prohibited materials and quality management
systems, especially record keeping and traceability.
The National Organic Certification is carried out by 23
independent certification bodies, which have been registered
with CNCA and accredited by the national accreditation body
CNAS.
There are two certificates/Labels delivered by certification
bodies, Organic and Conversion to Organic. Before delivering
Organic certificate, there is a period of conversion (usually 3
years), subject to annual surveillance audits.
All products sold in the Chinese market as organic/
conversion to organic must be certified, and the national
organic label and the label/name of the certification body must
be indicated on the product.
ARE THE PRODUCTS TRACEABLE ALONG
THE SUPPLY CHAIN?
In order to keep the integrity of organic production, operators
are required to establish and implement a complete and
effective recordkeeping system for the whole production
process, including field map, farming activities, processing,
storage, incoming and outgoing and marketing and etc. To
ensure product traceability, an electronic tracking lot number
system is established.
DOES THE INITIATIVE HARMONISE WITH
OTHER STANDARDS?
C
apacity building and outreach:
No
A
uditing methodologies:
No information available.
AUDIT INFORMATION
1
st, 2nd, 3rd party certification:
Third-party audit is required.
F
requency of audits:
Annual audits, Surprise audits.
R
eview process:
On-site visit.
V
alidity of audit certificate:
One year.
WHAT KIND OF CRITERIA ARE USED FOR
THE ASSESSMENT?
Pass and fail:
The applicants must comply fully with the critical requirements
in the standard, such compliance will be assessed as Pass or
Fail.
What happens if non-conformity is found?
If the production activities, management systems and other
evaluation evidences are found not in full compliance with
the rules and standards during annual audit or surprise
inspections, corrective actions must be completed and verified
by certification body within 30 days. Otherwise, the certificates
can be suspended or revoked.
USE OF LOGO ON THE FINAL PRODUCT?
Yes:
WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT IS PROVIDED?
Organic product standard, relevant rules and regulations, and
application documents are provided by certification bodies.
Access to databases of certified companies and qualified
certification bodies is also available on website.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
M
embership fee:
Not applicable.
C
ertification costs:
Depends on the operator.
GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE
Asia: Brunei Darussalam, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Europe:
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, North America:
United States of America, South America: Brazil, Australia &
Oceania: Australia, New Zealand
The Certification Program is currently operated in the following countries.
Source: http://ffip.cnca.cn/ffip/publicquery/certSearch.jsp
STEPS TO JOIN THE INITIATIVE:
1. The applicant files an complete application to an qualified
5. The certification institution makes a certification decision
organic product certification body with required documents
and materials.
based on the on-site inspection on the environmental quality
of the production place and the assessment and testing of the
product. The certification body shall issue a certificate if the
applicant complies with the certification requirements.
2. The certification body conducts the review on the
application documents and materials and decides whether to
accept the application.
3. The certification body appoints inspectors with
qualifications and capability to form an inspection team to
prepare and implement an on-site inspection.
4. All the products applying for certification must be sample
tested on the basis of risk assessment by qualified testing
agencies.
6.The certification body shall review the supply agreements
signed between the certified unit and the customer as well
as the sales scope and quantity of the certified products. If
qualified, a sales certificate for organic products will be issued
to the qualified unit.
OVERVIEW OF REQUIREMENTS*:
ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
EXPLANATION:
C
ritical:
To be qualified for National Organic Product Certification,
the applicants must comply fully with most criteria set in the
standard, as well as during conversion period. These are
immediate requirements.
R
ecommendation:
Requirements are presented in Standards Map as
‘Recommendation’, based on the following policy applied
for compliance ‘It is recommended to...’
SOCIAL REQUIREMENTS
ECONOMIC REQUIREMENTS
* based on criteria used in Standards Map. Access Standards
Map’s Analysis Module to review specific details on upto 250
sustainability requirement for each of the standards.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Standards Map is a web-based interactive tool that centralises, organises and disseminates information on over 100 voluntary
sustainability standards. Standards Map is part of the International Trade Centre’s web-based Market Analysis Tools.
More detailed information on the specific requirements of the sustainability initiative can be reviewed: standardsmap.org.