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No, each country follows its own set of rules. Some countries collectively follow standards. An excellent example is the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC). Over 30 countries follow these standards for labeling their products.
These countries include European countries such as the UK, Italy and Croatia, as well as countries from Africa and South America such as Argentina, Chile, Egypt and Libya. US, on the other hand, follows it own set of rules which were set in 1948.
Since the standards for organic food products are not same in all countries, it is necessary to find the details about the certification bodies and their criteria for granting an organic label, especially if the product is imported.
The absence of proper standards for a particular product also enables manufacturers to mislead the customers. For example, there are no proper standards for grading organic coconut oil in the US. US is the largest importor of organic coconut oil; however, the absence of proper guidelines enables manufacturers to label products as per their wish. The Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) provides some definitions of different grades of virgin coconut oil. In these standards, there is no mention of extra virgin coconut oil. How do the manufacturers market the extra virgin coconut oil?
Most manufacturers of extra virgin coconut oil do not mention certified on their label. Some write 'Certified Extra Virgin Coconut Oil' but do not mention the certifying body. There are others who will label their products as Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and attach the word Certified Organic. These manufacturers do not mention the name of the body that defines this 'extra' virgin coconut oil. Had there been proper definitions of different grades of coconut oil in the US, these manufacturers could not have marketed their 'extra virgin coconut oil' in the US.
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