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Quality & certification

Organic claims deserve evidence.

HWH’s approach to certification is simple: ask for relevant documentation, review it responsibly, and describe every product’s status accurately — including when it is not certified.
The basics

What organic certification is.

Organic certification is a formal process that checks whether food was produced according to a defined set of organic standards. It looks at how a crop is grown and handled, supported by records and inspection or review, rather than testing a single sample at the shop.

In India, food sold as organic is regulated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017. These recognise two systems:

  • NPOP, the National Programme for Organic Production, a third-party certification system implemented through APEDA under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, using accredited certification bodies.
  • PGS-India, the Participatory Guarantee System, a peer-based system for the domestic market under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Certification is granted only by authorised bodies within these systems. This is general information, not legal advice; please refer to the official sources below for current rules.

Documentation review

What HWH reviews, and what it does not do.

HWH does

  • Ask farmers for relevant information and any applicable certification documents through the app.
  • Review submissions before a farmer is eligible to publish products.
  • Look at whether documents appear complete, current and relevant to the products listed.
  • Request clarification, or decline a submission, where information is unclear.
  • Aim to present certification status in plain, accurate language.

HWH does not

  • Issue organic certification, or act as a certification body.
  • Treat the act of uploading a document as certification.
  • Describe a product as certified when supporting documents have not been provided and reviewed.
  • Replace the inspections carried out under NPOP or PGS-India.

Submitting a document never automatically certifies a farmer or product. HWH’s review determines what can be shown in the app; certification itself comes only from an authorised system.

Accurate representation

How certification status is meant to be shown.

HWH intends to describe each farmer’s status in one of a few clear ways, based on the documentation reviewed. Exact wording in the app may evolve, but the principle will not: never overstate.
  • Certified (documentation reviewed)

    The farmer has provided a certificate under a recognised system, such as NPOP or PGS-India, that appears current and relevant to the product, and HWH has reviewed it.

  • In conversion

    The farm is moving to organic practices but is not yet fully certified. Produce should not be described as certified organic.

  • Not certified

    No certification documentation has been provided or accepted. The product can still be listed honestly, without organic certification claims.

Why it matters

Transparency protects everyone.

For consumers

Accurate status lets you decide for yourself how much certification matters for each purchase, without guesswork.

For certified farmers

Honest presentation protects the value of the effort and cost that certification involves.

For every farmer

Clear, truthful descriptions let uncertified and in-conversion farms take part without pretending to be something else.

For the marketplace

Trust that is based on documentation lasts longer than trust based on slogans.

Learn more

Official sources and further reading.

Questions about how HWH reviews documents? See the FAQ.

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