Comparation Of Organic Product Standards And Certification Systems Between Chinese And U.S.

Based on IFOAM organic criterion and the certification standard and system of China, this article briefly elaborates the origin and the establishment and development of Chinese and U.S. organic product standards and certification systems. The comparison launches from the following two aspects:Chinese and the USA organic agriculture standard and certification systems. The stress lies in the root of respective standard and the certification system in different cultural context and the actual economy situation, induces Chinese and the USA organic agriculture theory and the agricultural practices. Summarizing the development experience in the China and USA organic agricultural, the contribution to the environment, resources and sustainable development, so as to provide reference for protecting the healthy and sustainable development of our environment-friendly agriculture.The organic agricultural systems of both China and USA are based on IFOAM Basic Standard, following its four organic agriculture principles and aiming at satisfying producers’and consumers’demands under the certification standards and institutions. US system establishes its standards and institutions according to its local legal and cultural environment and its importing-based model determines its own unique principles, while China, with the consideration of its own legal regulations and cultural conditions, finds the EU’s items on organic agriculture are more adaptable.Employing the main standards of IFOAM and taking the Chinese organic agricultural certification standards and institutions as the benchmark. This article displays the establishing and improving procedures of both Chinese and US certification systems and their respective standards on organic agricultural productions. For example, the Chinese authority requires the applicants to submit the environmental quality date of the production bases/processing units applying for organic certification and the production bases/processing units must designate their own organic production/processing managers and internal inspectors. While there are no such requirements in US NORBy comparing above two systems, it is to analyze their differences in the certification standards and institutions and to figure out the reasons deeply embedded in their political, economic and environmental background. A sum-up of the regulations and criterias of shared regularity, popularity and validity of the two systems will be made to make preparation for the achievement of the equivalence and integrity among the certification standards and institutions from both sides, which would facilitate low barriers for Sino-American international trade of organic products and would also prospect the export of China’s organic products into US market.