Australian organic logos and label wording, decoded

Guide · 2026-10-16 · 6 min read · by the Blueberry Bear Team

Two jars of honey, both with "organic" on the front. One has a small green logo and a code on the back; the other has a picture of a bee and the word "pure". If you've ever wondered what all those marks and phrases mean, this guide is for you.

We'll cover the main certification logos you'll see in Queensland shops, what the different organic phrases on processed food usually mean, and the small details that tell you the most.

Why logos matter in Australia

In Australia, food sold domestically can be called "organic" without being certified. The Australian Consumer Law still requires any claim to be truthful and able to be backed up, but nobody has to check it before the product hits the shelf.

A certifier's logo is different. Certifiers license their marks only to operators they have audited, and they set rules for how the mark can be used. That makes a logo plus a certificate number the most practical thing a shopper can check.

The logos you're most likely to see

The ACO "bud"

The bud logo belongs to Australian Certified Organic and is used on products certified by ACO Certification Ltd. It's the organic mark many Australians recognise first. Products carrying it should also show an ACO certification number, which you can look up on ACO's public register.

The Demeter mark

Demeter is an international mark for biodynamic food. In Australia, biodynamic certification under Demeter is managed by the Bio-Dynamic Research Institute (BDRI). Biodynamic farming is a form of organic farming with additional practices, so a Demeter product is organic too, with extra requirements on top.

Organic Food Chain (OFC)

Organic Food Chain is a DAFF-approved certifier that certifies growers, processors and handlers. Its logo appears on a range of fresh and packaged products, and OFC publishes a list of certified operators.

Southern Cross Certified (SXC)

Southern Cross Certified is a DAFF-approved certifier and is also listed as certifying to the voluntary Australian Standard AS 6000-2015. Look for the SXC name or logo and a certificate number.

NASAA (older stock)

You may still see the NASAA Certified Organic logo on older packaging. NCO withdrew as an approved certifying body in June 2025. DAFF guidance allowed existing NCO-labelled packaging to be used until 25 June 2026, so the logo should now be disappearing from shelves. If you see it on a newly packed product, it's fair to ask the brand which certifier it's with now.

Overseas marks

Imported foods may carry overseas organic marks such as the EU organic leaf or USDA Organic seal. These are genuine certification schemes in their own markets with their own rules. They won't appear on Australian certifiers' registers, but you can usually check them on the relevant scheme's database.

What the words on the pack usually mean

Certifiers set rules for the organic wording used on certified processed foods. The exact rules vary by standard, but ACO's published labelling guide is a good example of how they commonly work. Under that guide, percentages are calculated by weight and exclude water and salt:

Other certifiers' standards use similar tiers, though the details can differ. If a precise threshold matters to you, check the certifier's published standard.

A practical takeaway: a certifier logo on the front generally means a product is at least 95% certified organic. Wording like "made with organic oats" without a logo can be perfectly honest, but it usually signals that only some of the product is organic.

Fresh produce and loose goods

Fresh fruit and vegetables often have no packaging at all. In that case look for:

• Signs or stickers showing the certifier and certificate number, often on the box the produce came in.
• A certificate on display at a market stall or farm gate.
• Clear separation in shops that sell both organic and conventional produce. Under organic standards, certified product must be kept separate from non-certified product. If organic and non-organic carrots are in one bin, you can't be sure which is which.

A shop that isn't itself certified can still sell certified products, but repacking or relabelling loose organic produce is a handling activity that certification normally covers. If a store bags its own "organic" produce, it's reasonable to ask whether the store is certified as a handler.

Small details that tell you a lot

When you turn a product over, look for:

1. The certificate number near the logo. No number is a reason to check further.
2. The certified operator's name. Sometimes it's the brand, sometimes the packer or importer.
3. The ingredient list. On "made with" products, certified organic ingredients are usually marked, so you can see which ones they are.
4. Country of origin. Australia's country-of-origin labelling rules apply to most food, which helps if you want local organic products.
5. The date. For products packed after mid-2026, a NASAA logo is out of date.

Things a logo doesn't tell you

• Health or nutrition benefits. Certification is about how food is produced and handled. It isn't a nutrition claim, and we don't make health claims about organic food.
• Taste and freshness. These depend on variety, season, handling and storage, just as they do for any food.
• That a product is "chemical-free". Organic standards permit some inputs and processing aids, and contamination from outside a farm can't be ruled out entirely.

On Blueberry Bear Organics

We show the certifier, certificate number and certificate expiry date on every verified shop. Where a shop isn't certified itself but sells certified brands, we label it "Certified product, retailer not certified" and record the certifier for each product. That way you can see at a glance what's behind each listing, and check it yourself on the certifier's register.

Label rules summarised from ACO's published labelling and logo style guide and DAFF guidance, checked 16 October 2026. Rules can change; this is general information only.

— the Blueberry Bear Team