Certified Organic Virgin Coconut Oil:
What Does Certified Organic
Really Mean Here?

Certified organic virgin coconut oil is way more than just a label on a container. Every step of the production process, from growing, all the way to marketing, has standards to comply with.

Organic coconut oil farming puts greater emphasis on the entire production and distribution chain than just the end product itself. Production standards strongly discourage any use of chemical-based pesticides, fertilizers, etc.

Beware of inconsiderate opportunists who would employ unethical marketing tactics. It's so easy to put a label that says "100 percent organic," "certified organic," "made with organic," etc.

I've tried at least a few dozen virgin coconut oil brands here in the Philippines. Believe it or not, they're all certified organic according to their labeling. This is unlikely even for the world's biggest coconut oil exporter.

Certified Organic Tips

Genuine organically certified coconut oil costs higher. So if the price is relatively too cheap, it's probably not certified.

Does it have a kind of yellowish or brownish color? Certified organic virgin coconut oil should be clear or water white in color.

Smell and taste the oil. If it has a mild to intense fresh coconut aroma and flavor, you most likely have a winner in your hands. But if it smells somewhat sour or tastes like cooking oil, forget it.

What about official logos of certifying bodies on the label? Misrepresenting these institutions carry with them civil and/or criminal repercussions. But apparently, all the logos, emblems, insignias or symbols in the world mean nothing here. It appears that anybody with enough guts can use them and get away with it, anyway.

Much of it boils down to good old trust and credibility. Do a background check on the establishment. You can find almost anything on the internet.

Which One is Certified?

Because certification is expensive, it is a fact that people are selling copies of their "certified organic" certificates to non-certified organic farmers and producers, who in turn are passing their products off as certified organic virgin coconut oil. Many of the certified organic certificates are copies of copies of copies.

The way to tell which ones are legitimate is to call the certifying agency and check with them to see if the company in question is registered with them.

It might comfort you to know though, that coconut farming is inherently organic, at least in my country it is. Roughly 95 percent of coconuts here in the Philippines are organically grown.