Documentation & responsible buying
Organic Matcha Claims: What Certification Means and How to Verify It
In the EU, "organic" on a food is a regulated term: it may only be used for products produced under the EU organic rules and certified by an authorised control body. An organic matcha claim is only as good as the certificate behind it, so ask for the certificate, check it covers that product and supplier, and check it is valid today. This guide explains what the rules and the EU organic logo mean, and how to verify a certificate before you repeat a claim on your menu.
For clarity: Yumi's matcha is not sold as certified organic. We do not make organic claims about our products, and you should not make them about our matcha on your menu.
What "organic" means under EU rules
EU organic production is governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/848, which sets rules for farming, processing, labelling, imports and controls. In practice, three points matter to a café buyer:
- It is a protected term. Terms such as "organic" and derivatives like "bio" and "eco" in labelling or advertising are reserved for products that meet the rules (Article 30).
- It requires certification. Operators that place products on the market as organic generally need a certificate from a control authority or control body (Article 35), with limited national exemptions for some small sellers of unpacked products. Operators are also expected to verify their suppliers' certificates.
- It covers the product, not the supplier as a whole. A supplier can hold a certificate for some products and not others. The certificate lists what it covers.
The EU organic logo
The European Commission's guidance on the logo sets out how it may be used.
| Point | What it means |
|---|---|
| Who may use it | Only products certified organic by an authorised control body or authority |
| Composition | At least 95% of the agricultural ingredients must be organic, with strict conditions for the rest |
| When it is mandatory | On pre-packaged organic food produced in the EU |
| When it is optional | Non-pre-packaged products, and imported products that meet EU import rules |
| Code number | The control body's code number must appear near the logo |
| Origin indication | Where the agricultural raw materials were farmed: "EU Agriculture", "non-EU Agriculture" or "EU/non-EU Agriculture" (Article 32) |
The control-body code is the most useful detail for verification. Annex V of the regulation sets the general format AB-CDE-999: the ISO code of the country where the controls take place, a three-letter term linked to organic production (such as "bio", "öko", "org" or "eko"), and a reference number of up to three digits for the control body or authority. A code therefore looks like "XX-BIO-123". It identifies the body that controls the operator that carried out the last production or preparation step.
What the logo does not tell you
The logo on a bag does not, by itself, tell you whether the business selling it to you is certified for that product. If a supplier repacks or relabels, the code should refer to the body that certified them. If the logo appears on a website or price list but not on the product, ask why.
How to verify a supplier's certificate
Work through these steps before you order, and again when the certificate is due to expire.
Step 1: Ask for the certificate itself
Ask for the current organic certificate as a document, not a statement in an email. A logo on a website is not evidence.
Step 2: Check the operator
The name and address of the operator on the certificate should match the business invoicing you. If they differ, ask how the chain is covered: the supplier may be a distributor that needs its own certification.
Step 3: Check the products
The certificate, or its annex, should list the product categories or products covered. Check that matcha or powdered green tea is covered, and in the form you buy.
Step 4: Check validity
Look at the validity period. An expired certificate does not cover current deliveries.
Step 5: Check the control body
Compare the control-body code on the certificate and on the pack. They should be consistent.
Step 6: Check the public database
Certificates are issued in electronic form wherever possible, and many control bodies publish lists of the operators they certify. Searching for the operator and certificate number, or asking the control body named on the certificate, lets you confirm the document is current and genuine.
Step 7: Keep the evidence
File the certificate with the delivery records for the batches it covers. If you print "organic" on your menu, you need to be able to show that basis.
Verification checklist
- [ ] Certificate received as a document
- [ ] Operator name matches the invoicing business
- [ ] Product covered by the certificate or its annex
- [ ] Certificate valid on the delivery date
- [ ] Control-body code consistent between certificate and pack
- [ ] Confirmed in a published operator list or with the control body
- [ ] Filed with batch records
Common misunderstandings
"Grown without chemicals" is not the same as organic. Informal descriptions from a farm or supplier are not a certified claim and should not be repeated as one.
A lab report does not make a product organic. A test result on a single batch describes that sample. Organic status comes from certification of the production system. Reading a matcha certificate of analysis explains what a lab report can and cannot show.
Japanese organic marks are not automatically EU organic. Products imported into the EU need to meet EU import rules to be marketed as organic here. Ask the supplier how this is covered.
Vague green wording carries risk. Words that suggest organic status without certification are a warning sign; see red flags when buying bulk matcha.
Menu wording
Only describe a drink as organic if the matcha, and any other ingredient you name as organic, is backed by valid certification you have on file. Food prepared by mass caterers, which includes cafés and restaurants, falls outside the EU regulation itself and may not carry the EU organic logo; national rules or private standards may apply instead, so check with your local authority or control body. For other menu claims, see what EU rules allow on a matcha menu.
If you buy matcha that is not certified organic, describe it with facts you can document: origin, harvest, milling, how you prepare it. For Ceremonial Barista Matcha and Ceremonial Matcha, those facts are Uji (Kyoto), Japan, first harvest, stone-milled.
Next step
Use the checklist on any supplier that offers organic matcha. If you are considering Yumi, contact us for the documentation available for the current batch; our matcha is not certified organic, and we will say so plainly.