The NASAA Certified Organic closure: what shoppers need to know
For decades, the NASAA logo was one of the most familiar organic marks in Australia. If you've noticed it disappearing from shelves, or wondered whether a product with that logo is still "properly" organic, here's a plain-English explanation of what changed and what it means when you shop.
What happened
NASAA Certified Organic (NCO) was one of Australia's organic certifying bodies approved by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to certify against the National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce.
According to DAFF's published notices and FAQ:
- NCO withdrew as an approved certifying body on 26 June 2025.
- From that point, NCO certification against the National Standard was no longer valid for export purposes.
- Operators certified by NCO needed to transfer to another approved certifying body by 26 September 2025, or before their existing certification expired, to keep their export eligibility.
- Existing NCO-labelled packaging could be used until 25 June 2026. After that, unused pre-printed labels were to be destroyed and the new certifier notified.
Media reports at the time, including from ABC Rural, described the closure as a significant disruption, with hundreds of producers needing to find a new certifier at short notice. The international accreditation body IOAS also announced it had withdrawn NCO's accreditation.
Does this mean NASAA products weren't really organic?
No. The closure was about the certifying body, not a finding that the farms and brands it certified had done anything wrong. Most of those businesses simply moved to another certifier and carried on farming and making food the same way.
What it does mean is that a NASAA certificate is no longer current proof of certification. A business that was certified by NCO should now hold a certificate from a different body.
Why does this matter for domestic shoppers?
Remember that in Australia, certification isn't legally required for food sold domestically to be called organic. The value of a certifier's logo lies in the fact that an approved, accredited body is still auditing the business. When a certifier stops operating, that ongoing check stops too, until the operator moves to a new one.
So a product carrying the NASAA logo is in one of a few situations:
- Older stock packed before the cut-off. DAFF allowed existing NCO packaging to be used until 25 June 2026, so some shelf-stable products with long use-by or best-before dates may still be around. This is normal.
- A brand that has moved certifier but still has old images online. Websites and product photos often lag behind.
- A business that didn't transfer. This is the one to watch for. Without a new certifier, there's no current audit behind the organic claim.
How to check a brand that used to show NASAA
It's quick:
- Look for a new logo on recently packed products. Many former NCO operators moved to ACO, Southern Cross Certified (SXC), Organic Food Chain (OFC) or, for biodynamic products, BDRI (Demeter). We haven't verified which certifier any particular brand chose, so always check the pack and register.
- Search the other certifiers' registers for the business name. Our guide to checking an organic certificate lists where to search.
- Ask the brand or seller. "Who are you certified with now?" is a perfectly reasonable question, and genuine operators will have an answer.
If a business can't name a current certifier, its products may still be grown carefully, but they are no longer covered by an independent organic audit.
A quick timeline
| Date | What happened (per DAFF) |
|---|---|
| 26 June 2025 | NCO withdrew as an approved certifying body |
| 26 September 2025 | Deadline for NCO operators to transfer to another approved certifier (or earlier if their certificate expired first) |
| 25 June 2026 | End of the period for using existing NCO-labelled packaging |
| Now (October 2026) | A current certificate should come from a different certifier |
What about NASAA the association?
The NASAA name has long been associated with both an organic industry association and its certification business. This guide is only about the certifying body, NCO, because that's what matters for labels. If you see the name in other contexts, such as education or advocacy, that's a separate question from certification.
What Blueberry Bear Organics does
We've taken a simple position:
- We don't accept an NCO certificate as current proof of certification. Sellers who were with NCO must show us a certificate from their new certifier.
- We check that new certificate against the certifier's public register before listing.
- If a seller's products still show the NASAA logo on older packaging, the listing shows their current certifier and certificate number, so you can see who is auditing them today.
This isn't about doubting those growers. Many of them have been certified organic for years. It's about making sure every badge on our site reflects a current, checkable audit.
The bigger picture
The NCO closure also fed into a wider conversation about how organic food is regulated in Australia. As of October 2026 there is still no mandatory domestic organic standard. In April 2026 the Australian Government responded to a Senate inquiry into a proposed national organic standard bill, agreeing that the bill shouldn't pass in its current form but supporting a DAFF-led scoping exercise on whether domestic regulation is needed. If that leads to changes, we'll update our guides.
In the meantime, the most useful habit for any organic shopper is the same as ever: look for a current certifier, a certificate number, and check it.
Information checked 16 October 2026 against DAFF's NASAA Certified Organic notices and FAQ. This is general information only, not legal advice.
— the Blueberry Bear Team