China, New Zealand agree on mutual recognition of organic food certification

BEIJING - China and New Zealand inked an agreement on Monday to mutually recognize organic food with official certification labels to facilitate organic food development and trade.

China's Certification and Accreditation Administration and New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries agreed to mutually recognize each other's certifications for organic food imports.

This is the first mutual recognition agreement for organic food certification China has signed with a foreign country.

China mainly exports coffee, frozen vegetables, and pet food to New Zealand and imports dairy products, meat and fruit from the country. Under the agreement, all organic food should be marked with Chinese certification labels and codes.

Official data showed that China sold organic food worth 60 billion yuan ($8.78 billion) last year. China is the fourth largest destination for New Zealand's organic food exports.