What JAS Organic is
JAS stands for Japanese Agricultural Standard. It is the Japanese government’s system of agricultural standards, run by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). JAS Organic certification guarantees production without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilisers for at least 3 years before harvest, under the supervision of a certifying body accredited by the Japanese state.
The JAS standards for organic plant products date from 2000 and were drafted on the basis of the Codex Alimentarius guidelines, according to MAFF itself. Since then it has been illegal in Japan to sell a farm product or processed food as «organic» (yūki, 有機) unless it carries the Organic JAS logo. The logo is granted by a certifying body registered with the ministry, which inspects both the farm and the factory: for tea, that means the shaded field and the plant where the tencha is made.
JAS certifying bodies are private entities accredited by MAFF. They include JONA (Japan Organic & Natural Foods Association), Ecocert Japan and OCIA Japan, which carry the codes JP-BIO-005, JP-BIO-006 and JP-BIO-008 on the EU list of recognised Japanese bodies.
JAS, EU organic and USDA Organic
| Standard | Set by | Perennial crops such as tea | Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic JAS | MAFF, Japan, since 2000 | 3 years without prohibited substances before the first harvest | Japan and the United States have recognised each other since 1 January 2014 |
| EU organic | Regulation (EU) 2018/848 | 3 years of conversion before the first harvest | The EU recognises the Japanese system (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2325) and the US one, the latter since 2012 |
| USDA Organic | National Organic Program, United States | 36 months without prohibited substances before harvest | Arrangements with the EU (2012) and Japan (2014) |
Sources: MAFF, Organic JAS page; Regulation (EU) 2018/848, Annex II; Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2325; USDA, US and Japan organic equivalence arrangement.
How a matcha certified in Japan gets into Europe
Japan is one of eleven countries whose organic system the EU recognises as equivalent. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2325 covers unprocessed plant products grown in Japan and foods processed in Japan from organic ingredients grown there or imported from the EU or another recognised country. A matcha certified by one of the Japanese bodies on that list can be sold as organic in the EU if the shipment arrives with its electronic certificate of inspection, issued in the European Commission’s TRACES system, and is labelled under EU rules. Great Britain has run its own import regime since Brexit, with a separate GB certificate of inspection, so a tin bought from a UK shop goes through that route instead.
That recognition has an end date. Article 48 of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 makes it expire on 31 December 2026. In 2021 the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate an agreement on trade in organic products with Japan (Decision (EU) 2021/1345), and in 2025 the Commission proposed extending the deadline to 31 December 2036 (proposal COM(2025) 780) so that trade is not cut off while talks go on. Whatever happens to that date, what counts on the shelf is what the pack says.
What to look for on the pack
| On the pack | What it means |
|---|---|
| EU organic logo (the leaf made of stars) | The product meets EU organic rules. It is the mark recognised across the EU; in Great Britain you will also see the logos of UK control bodies. |
| Control body code | It shows who inspected the last operation. In the EU it starts with the country code (ES-ECO in Spain, FR-BIO in France); UK bodies use GB-ORG; a Japanese body recognised by the EU uses JP-BIO and three digits. |
| «Non-EU Agriculture» | Goes with the EU logo and says the raw material was grown outside the EU, as all Japanese matcha is. |
| Organic JAS logo | Japanese certification. It says the product is organic in Japan, but on its own it does not say how it entered the EU or the UK. |
| USDA Organic seal | A US standard. Useful to know, but to be sold as organic in the EU or the UK the product has to go through their own import regimes. |
It is the rule we apply in the certified organic matcha ranking: only brands whose certification can be checked on the pack get in. The Japanese Tea Hub, for instance, carries both JAS and EU organic, as we explain in its review.
What organic certification does not guarantee
Organic certification covers the process, not the quality of what comes out. A matcha can be 100% JAS Organic and still be a second harvest, poorly shaded, coarsely milled and mediocre in the cup. No organic certification guarantees ceremonial grade.
The reverse is also true: some of the best first-harvest Uji matchas, made by families who have grown without pesticides for decades, carry no organic certification, because certifying costs money that does not always make sense for a small farm. Certification matters, but it is not the only indicator of quality.
To judge quality you have to look elsewhere: the harvest, the shading, the milling and, if the label says, the cultivar. We cover this in ceremonial vs culinary grade and in the five home tests for telling genuine matcha.
And if certification is not your main concern, the best ceremonial matcha ranking orders the same brands by tasting score.