The certifications that matter are the ones your market and customer require. A herbal tea packer may want a food safety scheme and organic. A supplement brand may want GMP and kosher. A Gulf distributor may want halal.
Ask your customer first, then screen suppliers on those certificates. A long list of logos means little if the one you need is missing or expired.
Also ask which site each certificate covers. Large groups often hold certificates for one plant and ship from another. The certificate has to match the plant that makes your lot.
The main certificates and what they cover
- FSSAI licence: required for food businesses in India, including exporters. It is a basic legal requirement, not a quality mark. See what FSSAI means for export.
- HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000 or BRCGS: food safety management schemes. Many EU and UK food buyers want one of the GFSI-recognised schemes.
- GMP: good manufacturing practice. For Ayurvedic products in India, GMP is set under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules (Schedule T). Some plants also hold WHO-GMP certificates issued through Indian regulators.
- Organic: NPOP for India and EU routes, USDA NOP for the US. See NPOP certification in the EU and US.
- Kosher and halal: issued by private agencies. Your customer usually names the agencies they accept.
- FDA food facility registration: needed for plants supplying the US. It is a registration, not a certification.
How to check a certificate
Check certificates on the issuing body's public database where one exists. Many organic, BRCGS and FSSC certificates can be verified online. Ask for the latest audit report summary too, and note any open non-conformities.
- The legal name and address match the plant you are buying from, not a sister company or a trader.
- The scope names the product, such as "dried herbs, cut and powder", not only "spices".
- The certificate is current, and the issuing body is accredited for that scheme.
- For organic, the certificate lists the product and, for wild herbs, wild collection.
- For kosher and halal, the product appears on the certificate's product list.
Certificates are not test results
A certificate tells you the plant has systems in place. It does not tell you this lot is clean. Organic herbs can still carry residues, and GMP plants can still ship a contaminated batch.
Pair the right certificates with lot testing for identity, heavy metals, pesticides, microbes and, for the EU, PAs and ETO. Our factory audit guide covers what to look for beyond the paperwork.
How we help
We confirm which certificates your customer needs, check each supplier's certificates against the issuing body, and visit the plant to see whether the system is real. Lot testing then runs at NABL-accredited labs. Ask for a free sourcing review.