Organic Matcha: How to Buy It Wholesale, Read a JAS Organic Certificate, and Label It “Organic” in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia

Organic matcha comes up often in sourcing enquiries, because it lets a café write “organic” on its menu or private label. But even matcha that can be called organic in Japan cannot always be labelled “organic” once it is repacked or sold in another country. This article goes through what a buyer should check, in this order: the JAS Organic mark and certificate, the rules on repacking, the labelling conditions in each market, and price and test documents.

What is organic matcha?

In Japan, only matcha carrying the JAS Organic mark may be labelled “organic.” JAS stands for Japanese Agricultural Standards, and the same labelling rules apply whether the product is called “yuki” (the Japanese word for organic) or “organic.”

Matcha without the JAS Organic mark cannot be called organic

According to MAFF (Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), a registered certification body inspects whether production follows the JAS organic standard, and only certified operators may attach the JAS Organic mark. Labelling farm products or processed foods without the mark as “organic” or with similar terms is prohibited by law.

Source: MAFF, “有機食品の検査認証制度” (Inspection and certification system for organic foods) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/yuuki.html

Tencha and matcha are certified separately

Under JAS Organic, matcha is treated as a processed food. Even if the tea field and the tencha (the tea leaves used as the raw material for matcha) are certified as organic produce, the matcha cannot carry the JAS Organic mark unless the factory that grinds the tencha into matcha is certified for organic processed foods. When buying, check that certification runs without a break from the tea field to the factory that grinds the matcha.

How to read the JAS Organic mark

The JAS Organic mark includes the name of the body that certified the product. From the certification body name and certification number near the mark, you can trace who certified which operator.

What the mark contains

Under MAFF’s rules on the format of grading marks, the name of the registered certification body (an abbreviation is allowed) goes on the JAS Organic mark. The certification number may be left out if the operator can be identified from other information on the package or invoice. The mark is placed in a visible spot on each package, or on the invoice. For matcha delivered in large food-service bags, the mark may be on the invoice.

How it relates to USDA and EU logos

To put another country’s organic logo on a product exported to the US, Canada or the EU under organic equivalence (explained below), the operator must be certified as a “foreign grade labelling operator” by a Japanese registered certification body (since October 2022). Operators certified under the other country’s own scheme can attach the logo under that scheme. If Japanese matcha carries a USDA or similar logo, ask your supplier which certification it is based on.

How to check the certificate

On the certificate, check three things: the operator’s name, whether the product type is organic processed food, and the name and address of the factory. Then check them against the lists MAFF publishes.

What the certificate states

According to MAFF’s handbook on organic processed foods (June 2026 edition), a certificate states:

The name and address of the certified operator
That it is a certification as a production process manager (the operator that manages the production process)
The type of product (for matcha, “organic processed food”)
The name and address of the certified factory (including subcontractors)
The date of certification and the certification number

If the company that sent you a quote is not the operator named on the certificate, ask whether it is a trading company or has the certified factory make the product for it.

There is no expiry date: look at the annual inspection

The same handbook explains that certification stays valid unless it is revoked, and the certification body inspects the operator at least once a year. An old date on the certificate does not mean it has lapsed, but you need to check separately that the certification is still current. If the company changes through a merger or acquisition, it has to obtain certification again.

Check against MAFF’s lists

MAFF publishes the following lists (in Japanese):

List	What it tells you
List of registered organic certification bodies	Name, location and phone number of each body, and whether it can issue export certificates (bodies in Japan)
List of JAS Organic certified operators (in Japan and overseas, as of August 2026)	Which operators are certified
Abbreviations of registered certification bodies whose registration is no longer in effect	Which body an abbreviation on a mark refers to, when that body no longer exists

Check that the certification body on the certificate is on the list of registered bodies, and that the operator is on the list of certified operators. For changes after the date of a list, ask the certification body named on the certificate.

Certification needed for repacking, blending and nitrogen flushing

If you repack organic matcha and put your own label on it, the operator doing the work must also be certified. If an uncertified operator repacks it, the JAS Organic mark cannot be attached again.

Repacking and attaching the mark again

MAFF’s JAS Organic Q&A describes repacking as “dividing something already divided into smaller units,” and calls an operator that attaches the JAS mark again to repacked products a “certified repacker.” If you repack 1 kg bags into 100 g tins and sell the tins with the JAS Organic mark, the operator doing that work must be certified as a repacker.

Blending and nitrogen flushing need organic processed food certification

The same Q&A states that blending tea to improve its taste is treated as processing and requires certification for organic processed foods. It also states that nitrogen flushing in tea packaging counts as adding a food additive, so it cannot be done under a repacker’s certification and requires organic processed food certification. If you want to sell your own blend of matcha from two regions, or nitrogen-flushed small bags, as organic, check that the factory doing the work holds organic processed food certification.

Source: MAFF, “有機農産物、有機加工食品、有機畜産物及び有機飼料のJASのQ&A（令和7年10月現在）” (Q&A on the JAS for organic plants, organic processed foods, organic livestock products and organic feeds, as of October 2025), question 4-1 https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/attach/pdf/yuuki-543.pdf

Repacking overseas

The Japanese JAS Organic rules concern Japanese certification. If you repack the matcha in your own shop overseas and label it “organic,” the labelling rules of the country where you sell apply (see the next two sections). How to decide packaging and labels for a private label is covered in Private Label Matcha.

Countries with and without organic equivalence with Japan

JAS Organic is treated as organic in the other country as it is only in the six countries and regions that have organic equivalence with Japan. Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia are not among them.

Countries and regions with equivalence

According to MAFF, as of 1 April 2026 the countries and regions that mutually recognise organic equivalence with Japan are the US, the EU, Canada, Taiwan, the UK and Switzerland. All of them cover farm products and processed farm foods. To export under equivalence, the operator must be certified by a registered certification body that can issue export certificates.

Countries without equivalence

MAFF explains that to export products labelled “organic” to a country without equivalence, the operator must obtain that country’s organic certification. It also notes that some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, accept organic food certified under the Japanese scheme even without equivalence. Check each country’s rules to see which applies to Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.

Conditions for labelling matcha organic in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia

In all three countries, you need certification documents to back up “organic” on the label. How each country decides which certification to accept differs.

Singapore

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) labelling guide states that food labelled “organic” or with similar claims must be accompanied by a certificate showing it is certified as organic under an inspection and certification system that complies with section 6.3 of the Codex (international food standards) guidelines on organic food, or an equivalent system (Regulation 9(5) of the Food Regulations). The guide does not contain a country-by-country list of whether JAS Organic certificates are accepted. Before buying, as the importer, obtain a copy of the certificate so you can use it to explain the claim to the SFA.

Thailand

Thailand’s agricultural standard TAS 9000-2021 (มกษ. 9000-2564, the organic agriculture standard set by the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives) lists the conditions for labelling a product “อินทรีย์” (organic), “ออร์แกนิก” or “organic.” Besides the raw materials being produced by organic methods, the operator that produces or imports the product must be inspected and certified as organic, and the label must show the certification body’s name or code. We did not find a clause specific to organic labelling in the Ministry of Public Health notification on labelling of prepackaged foods (No. 450, 2024). If you label matcha “organic” in Thailand, the importer should decide first which certification body’s certification to use.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture regulation (No. 64 of 2013) states that organic products distributed in Indonesia, including imports, must carry the Organik Indonesia logo. Imported organic products must be accompanied by a transaction certificate issued by the certification body in the producing country, and a health certificate or certificate of free sale. The certification body must be recognised by KAN, Indonesia’s National Accreditation Committee (through KAN accreditation, an agreement between accreditation bodies, or a regional or international cooperation agreement). The same regulation states that repacked organic products may not carry the logo until they are certified again. The labelling regulation of BPOM (Indonesia’s food and drug authority, No. 31 of 2018) also states that organic processed foods must carry organic information in line with the relevant regulations. As the regulation dates from 2013, confirm the current version with your importer before importing. The whole import process is covered in How to Import Matcha into Indonesia.

The price difference between organic and regular matcha

We did not find any public statistics showing the price difference between organic and regular matcha. What public sources show is the export volume of organic tea and the kinds of costs organic production involves.

What the statistics show

In MAFF’s “The situation of tea” (October 2026), of the 4,431 tonnes of green tea exported to the US in 2025, 2,784 tonnes (62.8%) was organic tea exported using equivalence and similar arrangements, and of the 2,393 tonnes exported to the EU and the UK, 1,522 tonnes (63.6%). There are volume statistics, but no unit price for organic tea alone. How matcha prices are set is covered in Why Is Matcha So Expensive?

Where the costs come from

What public sources show is not the price itself but where the costs arise. A NARO (National Agriculture and Food Research Organization) presentation states that organic cultivation involves certification fees, organic fertiliser costs and labour for weeding. The work involved in organic tencha in Kagoshima, where many organic tea fields are, is covered in Kagoshima Matcha. When comparing quotes, ask for organic and non-organic matcha from the same region, harvest and grinding method side by side to see the difference.

Organic matcha still needs test documents

JAS Organic is a standard for how tea is grown and made, not a guarantee of zero pesticide residues. Use test documents to check that the matcha meets the importing country’s standards.

Zero residues are not guaranteed

MAFF’s JAS Organic Q&A states that, because of general environmental contamination, it cannot be guaranteed that organic produce contains no residues at all. Whether pesticide residues and heavy metals are within the importing country’s limits is checked with analysis results, separately from organic certification.

Test documents to collect

On the matcha certificate of analysis (COA), compare the results for pesticide residues, heavy metals, microbes and radioactive substances with the importing country’s standards. How to read one is covered in Certificate of Analysis (COA) for Matcha, and lead limits in Matcha Lead.

Documents to ask your supplier for, and the order of checks

When buying organic matcha, collect three things: a copy of the certificate, a COA for each lot, and the shipping documents. Asking for them before the quote makes comparison easier.

Documents to ask for

Document	What to check
Copy of the JAS Organic certificate (produce and processed food)	Operator name, product type, factory, certification number
Certificate of the operator that repacked or blended	Whether it is a repacker or certified for organic processed foods
COA for each lot	Pesticide residue, heavy metal and microbe results, and the testing laboratory
Invoice and package labelling	JAS Organic mark and certification body name
Certification or certificates for the export market (if any)	Country and products covered

Order of checks

Check the rules of the country where you will write “organic” (Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia)
Get a copy of the certificate from your supplier and check that certification runs from the tea field to the matcha factory
Check the certification body and the operator against MAFF’s lists
Check that any repacking, blending or nitrogen flushing step has the certification it needs
Compare the lot COA with the importing country’s standards

The whole wholesale buying process is covered in Bulk Matcha. Certification status differs from product to product, so check a copy of the certificate at the sample or quote stage.

Sources

MAFF, “有機食品の検査認証制度” (Inspection and certification system for organic foods, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/yuuki.html
MAFF, “有機農産物、有機加工食品、有機畜産物及び有機飼料のJASのQ&A（令和7年10月現在）” (Q&A on the JAS for organic products, as of October 2025, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/attach/pdf/yuuki-543.pdf
MAFF, “有機加工食品検査認証制度ハンドブック（令和8年6月版）” (Handbook on the inspection and certification system for organic processed foods, June 2026, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/attach/pdf/yuuki-570.pdf
MAFF, “有機農産物，有機飼料，有機畜産物及び有機加工食品の格付の表示の様式及び表示の方法” (Format and method of grading marks for organic products, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/attach/pdf/yuuki-467.pdf
MAFF, “令和4年10月1日から有機同等性を利用して有機製品を輸出する際のルールが変わります。” (New rules from 1 October 2022 for exporting organic products under equivalence, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/attach/pdf/yuuki-262.pdf
MAFF, “有機認証制度の同等性について” (Equivalence of organic certification systems, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/attach/pdf/yuuki-555.pdf
MAFF, “有機登録認証機関一覧” (List of registered organic certification bodies, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/yuuki_kikan.html
MAFF, “認証事業者一覧” (Lists of certified operators, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_business_operators.html
MAFF, “既に登録の効力を失った登録認証機関等の略称” (Abbreviations of registered certification bodies whose registration is no longer in effect, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/ryakushou.html
MAFF, “茶をめぐる情勢（令和8年10月）” (The situation of tea, October 2026, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/seisan/tokusan/cha/attach/pdf/ocha-201.pdf
NARO Institute of Fruit Tree and Tea Science, “茶の有機栽培における主要な４つの課題とその対策の現状” (Four main issues in organic tea cultivation and current countermeasures, 18 March 2025, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/kyusyu/keiei/zigyo/yukicha/20250318yuki5.pdf
Singapore Food Agency, “A Guide to Food Labelling and Advertisements” https://www.sfa.gov.sg/docs/default-source/food-manufacturing-and-storage/a-guide-to-food-labelling-and-advertisements.pdf
National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards, “TAS 9000-2021 Organic Agriculture: The Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Products” (published by Thailand’s Department of Agriculture, in Thai) https://doa.go.th/oard5/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/03-3-og.pdf
Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Notification No. 450 (2024) on labelling of prepackaged foods (in Thai) https://food.fda.moph.go.th/media.php?id=654869394207416320&name=P450.pdf
Indonesia Ministry of Agriculture, Regulation No. 64 of 2013 on the organic farming system (in Indonesian) https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Download/152945/Permentan%20Nomor%2064%20Tahun%202013.pdf
BPOM, Regulation No. 31 of 2018 on processed food labels (in Indonesian) https://peraturan.go.id/files/bn1347-2018.pdf

FAQ

QIs organic matcha different from “yuki” matcha?

ANo. “Yuki” is the Japanese word for organic. In Japan, only food carrying the JAS Organic mark may be labelled 有機 (yuki) or オーガニック (organic), and using these words on food without the mark is prohibited by law. Matcha is a processed food, so the factory that grinds tencha into matcha must also be certified for organic processed foods.

QDoes a JAS Organic certificate have an expiry date?

ANo. According to MAFF's handbook on organic processed foods, certification stays valid unless it is revoked, and the certification body inspects the operator at least once a year. Check that the certification is still current against MAFF's list of certified operators, and for changes after the list date, ask the certification body named on the certificate.

QCan I repack organic matcha and sell it under my own label as organic?

ATo repack in Japan and attach the JAS Organic mark again, the operator doing the work must be certified as a repacker. Blending teas to improve their taste, or flushing bags with nitrogen, requires certification for organic processed foods. If you repack overseas, the labelling rules of the country where you sell apply.

QCan JAS Organic matcha be labelled organic as it is in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia?

ANot necessarily. The countries and regions with organic equivalence with Japan are the US, the EU, Canada, Taiwan, the UK and Switzerland, and these three countries are not among them. Singapore requires a certificate from a scheme in line with the Codex guidelines; Thailand's organic standard requires certification and the certification body's name or code on the label; Indonesia requires the Organik Indonesia logo and a transaction certificate from a certification body in the producing country.

QIf matcha is organic, do I still need pesticide test documents?

AYes. MAFF's JAS Organic Q&A states that, because of general environmental contamination, it cannot be guaranteed that organic produce contains no residues at all. Check pesticide residues and heavy metals by comparing the certificate of analysis (COA) for each lot with the standards of the importing country.