One of the fastest-growing forms of fraud online today is business in the name of organic food products. As soon as you open any social media or online marketplace, you are greeted with flashy ads—”Our products are produced entirely by organic methods,” “Natural and healthy,” and other such bold claims. In reality, however, many of these so-called organic products are actually produced on an industrial scale, with no real connection to genuine organic production. Prices, meanwhile, are set at double the norm, as if simply labeling something “organic” justifies sky-high costs.
In Bangladesh, the ‘Bangladesh Organic Certification Authority’ is still operating on a very limited scale. Yet, to sell true organic products, approval from this organization is mandatory. But among those selling organic products online, 99 percent have no certification. So it is clear how a huge market has developed by exploiting the trust of consumers.
In fact, the requirements for organic certification are extremely strict. At the production level, the use of any artificial chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is completely prohibited. The land must be used exclusively for organic farming for at least three years to ensure the soil’s quality remains entirely natural. During processing, only approved natural ingredients and additives may be used; no artificial color, flavor, or preservatives are allowed. Even the package must display “Certified Organic” or the relevant certification logo, and the ingredient list must clearly specify the percentage of organic content.
Currently, the so-called “organic” products being sold in the market—mustard oil, ghee, henna, palm sugar, or honey nuts—none of them have any certificate. These products are made using industrial methods, yet they are sold at high prices under the organic label. For example, to produce organic ghee, one must use milk from cows that have not been fed probiotics, hormones, antibiotics, or chemically treated feed. Afterwards, the milk must be cultured traditionally to churn butter. But is this what is really happening? In most cases, it is not.
Similarly, to obtain organic mustard oil, mustard must be grown without any herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers, and the oil must be extracted in a wooden cold press and filtered through cloth. But does the production process of the so-called “organic” oils in the market really follow this method? Most of the time, the answer is no. Yet these oils are priced at 350 taka per liter, while regular mill-processed mustard oil is available for 220 taka. Stirring up consumers’ desire for health consciousness to make excessive profit has become a form of silent fraud.
Therefore, as conscious consumers, it is important for us to understand that the word ‘organic’ is not just a label—it reflects a production process proven according to strict standards. Genuine organic products can only be identified through verified certification, not merely by words on paper or in advertisements. Otherwise, we will be spending money for nothing but a name, gaining no real health benefits—and giving fraudulent traders the opportunity to exploit us.
Tahsin Ahmed Supti
Student (Department of Botany), National University.
Interested in Microbiology, Agronomy, and Horticulture.
Leave a comment