HEFTY prison sentences have been handed down to overseas businesses selling "fake" organic and free-range produce.

The prosecutions and outcomes are the result of major investment in enforcement agencies, organic sources say.

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UK company Heart of England Eggs managing director Keith Owen was jailed for three years and ordered to pay 3.25 million ($5.4 million).

The Worcester Crown Court found the Heart of England Eggs sold 100 million eggs from cage chickens as organic and free-range and sold imported eggs as British between 2004-06.

Suspicions were raised when British egg industry figures pointed out there were more eggs being sold as organic and free-range than the country produced.

Similar concerns have been raised in Australia.

The free-range industry asserts that more than 30 million eggs a year sold as "free-range" are from either cage or barn chickens as there are not enough free-range chickens in Australia to lay the number of eggs labelled as such.

US authorities have also been tough on fake organics.

US company Sel-Cor Bean and Pea Inc owner Basilio Coronado was jailed for 24 months and ordered to pay more than $US500,000 ($540,500) after being convicted of fraudulently selling products as organic.

He was also found to have made false statements regarding the status of his products.

Mr Coronado was found to have sold 1.50 million kg of conventional milo (sorghum), 179,680kg of conventional pinto beans and 27,400kg of conventional garbanzo beans as organic.

Organic Federation of Australia chairman Andre Leu said the prosecutions had followed considerable investment in enforcement agencies in those countries.

"It's well documented there are people who get ill from the smallest amount of pesticide residue - there is a health issue here," Mr Leu said. "Our regulators don't take that issue seriously even though there is good science to that effect."

Organic Food Chain director Ivy Inwood said the cases were in stark contrast to policing of "fake" organics in Australia.

"Hopefully the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) are looking at it," Mrs Inwood said.