Logos made to order, pass inspection for just ten thousand yuan, fake organic can get real certification

With the “Zero Pesticide Residue” label, organic has become an increasingly popular choice for healthy eating. However, Beijing Business Daily reporters found that although the organic code is the only legal certification for organic vegetables, it does not serve as an absolute proof that the vegetables are 100% organic. In the face of rapidly growing demand for organic foods and the organic certification market, issues such as unqualified product inspections and violations by certification bodies are not uncommon.

On e-commerce platforms, gray transactions related to organic labels and certifications abound. For example, services claiming to handle organic certification applications range from 10 to 100 yuan, but actual prices typically start at several thousand yuan, depending on the credibility of the certification agency and the strictness of testing. The process involves document preparation, application submission, on-site inspections, sample testing, on-site rectifications, and certificate issuance. As a premium, health-focused consumer service, the core value of organic vegetable consumption lies in the full-chain quality services behind it, such as organic planting technology, professional certification traceability, and cold chain preservation and distribution. Only by establishing a comprehensive collaborative governance system—covering strict source control, rigorous certification, strict circulation management, strict law enforcement, and consumer supervision—can we crack down on phenomena like “fake labels” and “watered-down certifications,” ensuring that organic certification truly guarantees quality and that consumer investments are worthwhile.

According to the “Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China,” if consumers encounter “mismatched products” in organic vegetables, they have the right to claim “return and triple compensation (or 500 yuan if the amount is less).” If pesticide residues or heavy metals exceed safety standards, consumers can also claim “ten times the price or three times the loss compensation (or 1000 yuan if less).”

High Price Is Not the Standard; Organic Code Is the Only Legal Certificate

According to China’s national standard GB/T19630-2019 “Requirements for Organic Product Production, Processing, Labeling, and Management System,” generally, organic vegetables are those produced in accordance with international organic farming standards, without using genetically engineered organisms or their products, chemical synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, or growth regulators, following natural laws and ecological principles, using sustainable agricultural techniques. They must be certified by an independent organic food certification body before they can bear the organic label.

Due to strict planting standards, consumers generally believe that organic vegetables are more expensive and should be. Beijing Business Daily reporters visited several large supermarkets in Beijing and found that market prices are often unregulated. For example, at Ole Supermarket, a 400g pack of organic potatoes costs 16.9 yuan (4.23 yuan/100g), while a 500g pack of regular potatoes costs 4.9 yuan (0.98 yuan/100g). By weight, organic potatoes are about 4.3 times more expensive. However, high price is not the sole criterion for organic vegetables, and some organic vegetables are priced similarly or even cheaper than regular ones. For instance, in the same Ole store, 250g of organic purple lettuce costs 13.9 yuan (5.56 yuan/100g), while 200g of regular purple lettuce costs 15.9 yuan (7.95 yuan/100g). Per 100g, organic purple lettuce is 2.39 yuan cheaper.

“Just by appearance and price, you can’t accurately determine whether a vegetable is truly organic. Legitimate organic products sold in the market must have the China Organic Product Certification mark, the certification body mark, and the organic code. The organic code is a mandatory, unique, traceable identifier generated by the certification body according to uniform rules, used to identify each certified product. It is like an ‘electronic ID card’ for the product and the only legal proof for identifying organic vegetables,” said Dr. Zhu Lijun, Secretary-General of Guojie Research Institute’s Rural Revitalization Project Department and Brand Operations Director at Tianjin Hengjiali International Trade Co., Ltd. Lingqiu Branch.

However, Zhu emphasized that although the organic code is the only legal proof for organic vegetables, it does not serve as an absolute guarantee that the vegetables are 100% organic. The legality of organic vegetables cannot be judged solely by the presence of an organic code. Consumers should further verify the code on the official website of the “China Food and Agricultural Product Certification Information System” and confirm that the certification body is approved by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA).

It is noteworthy that recent results from sampling inspections by the State Administration for Market Regulation show that many batches of organic vegetables with queryable organic codes failed inspections. Some certification bodies that issued organic certificates for these vegetables have also been found to have violations such as missing on-site inspections, reduced certification procedures, and superficial audits.

Beijing Business Daily observed that some certification bodies previously found to have non-compliant products or penalties for violations still provide certification services. For example, organic bok choy sold at Ole was certified by Hangzhou Wantai Certification Co., Ltd., and organic cabbage sold at Hema was certified by Beijing Zhonghe Jinno Certification Center Co., Ltd. Both agencies had previously been publicly notified by the Market Supervision Administration for non-compliance in organic mushroom product certifications.

According to Tianyancha, the certification body for organic vegetables at Hema—Beijing Huaxia Wotu Technology Co., Ltd. (hereafter “Huaxia Wotu”)—was fined 60,000 yuan in April 2019 for violating the “Regulations on Certification and Accreditation of the People’s Republic of China.” Huaxia Wotu was formerly known as Beijing Wuyue Huaxia Management Technology Center (“Wuyue Huaxia”). Media reports indicate that in May 2018, a company certified by Wuyue Huaxia was exposed by CCTV for non-compliance, and that month, Wuyue Huaxia announced the cancellation of the certification registration for that company and withdrew seven organic certificates.

Gray Industry Chains and Fake Labels Covering “Fixed Codes” and “Variable Codes”

Why is there a need to further distinguish the organic code, which is the only legal proof?

According to Zhu Lijun, although organic products are difficult and costly to produce, their market prices are high. Recently, many regions have introduced subsidies for organic agriculture, making its development a trend. Some companies and certification bodies engage in violations to maximize profits, especially in sampling and testing procedures, and even fake organic labels.

Beijing Business Daily found that on an e-commerce platform, some vendors openly sell “China Organic Product Certification Logo” materials and customization services. The vector design files for the logo are sold for 3 yuan each. As of now, 20 people have purchased this product, making it a popular item in the store.

When asked further as a consumer, the seller said they also offer anti-counterfeit organic label printing services, which require verification of the buyer’s organic certification (organic certificate). Both “fixed codes” and “variable codes” can be produced, with “variable codes” costing more. Prices vary depending on label size. For example, a 3cm diameter round organic label ordered in 10,000 pieces costs 300 yuan for fixed codes (0.03 yuan each), and 1,100 yuan for variable codes (0.11 yuan each).

Additionally, vendors specializing in vector graphics can produce digital images of the “China Organic Product Certification Logo.” The store’s customer service said they charge a consultation fee of 10 yuan, after which a professional designer will discuss details and pricing. The minimum manual drawing fee is 30 yuan per logo. For printing or anti-counterfeit labels, customers can search for related vendors on e-commerce platforms.

According to the “Measures for the Administration of Organic Product Certification” issued by the Market Supervision Administration, the logo must be used within the scope and categories specified in the certification certificate. Certification bodies must assign a unique number (organic code) to each logo according to the unified numbering rules of the State Administration for Market Regulation, and implement anti-counterfeit and traceability technologies to ensure each logo can be traced back to its corresponding certificate and certified product, including its production and processing units.

Furthermore, Article 46 states that forging, impersonating, or illegally trading certification marks will be punished by local market supervision departments above the county level in accordance with laws such as the “Product Quality Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “Import and Export Commodity Inspection Law.”

Hidden “Unwritten Rules” in Certification and Tiered Service Fees

Compared to custom logo design and label printing, gray transactions involving organic certification agency services are more covert.

According to incomplete statistics, organic certification agency services on e-commerce platforms are priced between 10 and 100 yuan. After consulting several vendors, Beijing Business Daily learned that the actual cost for certification application services generally starts at several thousand yuan, involving document preparation, application, on-site inspection, sample testing, rectification, and certificate issuance. Usually, initial consultation and soil testing fees are included in the overall service fee, but additional costs such as travel expenses for inspectors and organic label fees are paid separately.

One vendor told the reporter that organic certification agency services are not uniformly priced but depend on the “tier” of the certification body they connect with. The “tier” mainly reflects the agency’s market credibility and testing rigor. For example, a top-tier agency like Nanjing Guohuan Organic Certification Center starts at 15,000 yuan; a mid-tier agency like Zhonglv Guo Certification (Beijing) costs nearly 20,000 yuan; and an agency like Anhui Guoke Testing Technology is around 15,000 yuan.

The vendor emphasized that “spending a lot to do a small thing” is common, and that their familiarity with certification rules allows them to resolve issues quickly if problems arise during testing. They also claim that choosing their recommended certification agencies can be cheaper and faster.

The investigation also revealed that most organic certification agencies do not recommend the highest-tier agencies but prefer those with more relaxed testing standards and close cooperation.

A consultant specializing in “organic certification” said their agency works with Beijing Wuzhou Hengtong Certification Co., Ltd. For a cucumber organic certification application, with two inspections per year (including no travel costs), the fee is 14,000 yuan per certificate.

Further, the Market Supervision Administration’s notices show that in March 2025, during a sampling check of 150 batches from 40 certification agencies involved in organic certification, 11 batches failed to meet standards. Among these, 4 batches certified by Beijing Wuzhou Hengtong Certification were non-compliant.

According to the Jiangsu Market Supervision Administration’s 2022 “Double Random, Open” supervision results, 8 certification agencies, including Beijing Wuzhou Hengtong, had issues. For example, in the certification records of Jiangsu Tomorrow Nanjing Rice Co., Ltd., the “record keeper” and “operator” listed was “Zhu Mou,” who is not an employee but a third-party involved in certification services.

From “Heavy Certification” to “Heavy Supervision”: Fake Certifications Enter Credit Systems

China’s organic product market is expanding. According to the “China Organic Product Certification and Organic Industry Development (2025)” report, in 2024, sales of organic products reached 124.7 billion yuan, a 22.79% increase year-on-year.

Topics like “what makes a vegetable truly organic” and “where to buy reliable organic vegetables” are hot on social media. Consumers often express frustration: they pay more for organic vegetables to eat safer and with peace of mind, but sometimes “paying more” doesn’t mean “buying right.”

Beijing Yingke Law Firm senior partner Zhou Chuikun advised that if consumers find they purchased fake organic products after verification, they can claim “return and triple compensation” under the “Consumer Rights Protection Law” (or 500 yuan if less). If pesticide residues or heavy metals exceed safety standards, they can also claim “ten times the price or three times the loss” under the “Food Safety Law” (or 1000 yuan if less).

Zhou believes that the root causes of issues like “fake labels” and “certification water-down” are systemic flaws in the certification supervision system, production process standards, legal responsibilities, traceability, and law enforcement. He suggests that in production, process control and input management need refinement; in certification, entry thresholds and process supervision should be tightened.

The CNCA has issued a new “Implementation Rules for Organic Product Certification,” effective from January 1, 2026. Key changes include strengthening certification body and personnel management, tightening certification requirements, increasing post-certification supervision, and standardizing certificate formats.

Zhou added that the new regulations enhance post-certification supervision, requiring at least 10% of certified organizations to undergo unannounced inspections and sampling in circulation areas, pushing producers to standardize processes. The market supervision is also optimizing input evaluation mechanisms for organic inputs like biological pesticides, aligning with international standards, to provide producers with more scientific and efficient input lists. The new rules also significantly raise entry thresholds for certification, requiring certification bodies to assess the environmental compliance of production sites and strengthen the professional capacity of certification personnel.

He emphasized that the most critical aspect is strengthening supervision at the source and among producers, controlling “the mouth.” While testing investments are not low, excessive testing outside production is a resource waste, even if some supermarkets set up their own testing labs.

In sales, Zhou recommends strengthening traceability and market inspections, promoting data sharing between the national agricultural product traceability platform and market supervision systems, and requiring sellers to provide certification and sales certificates. For online platforms, live streaming, and micro-business channels, platform responsibilities should be clarified—such as verifying organic product qualifications, labels, and conducting sampling inspections. Platforms that fail to review or knowingly sell fake products should bear joint liability with merchants. Strict exit mechanisms for non-compliant certification bodies and inclusion of false certifications and mixed sales into credit supervision systems are also suggested to significantly increase illegal costs.

China’s organic product legal framework is shifting from “heavy certification” to “heavy supervision.” In January 2026, the Market Supervision Administration issued guidelines on falsification of inspection results and issuance of false certificates, defining five serious circumstances, including repeated violations within two years after a prior penalty. Violators meeting these criteria will be disqualified from testing and listed on the serious illegal and untrustworthy list, with joint disciplinary actions across departments.

Recent data shows that the Market Supervision Administration has increased oversight in testing and inspection, cracking down on falsification. In 2025, 4,221 illegal cases were investigated, and 403 testing and inspection certificates were revoked.

Zhou concluded that the implementation of the new “Organic Product Certification” rules, the integration of digital traceability systems, and ongoing supervision and random checks aim to establish a comprehensive “strict entry, strict regulation, strict investigation, and strict punishment” oversight loop, truly enabling consumers to “spend wisely and eat with confidence.”