A new test has been developed in New Zealand to assess if vegetables claiming to be organic have actually been grown to organic standards.

Scientist Karyne Rogers, from GNS Science, developed the test to stop people being “fobbed off by someone else’s half-baked organic vegetables”, according to local newspaper the Dominion Post.

The test is based on isotopes, and looks at base elements in vegetables that can show if they were grown using organic manure or industrial fertiliser. Organic materials contain isotopes like carbon and nitrogen. The test shows results within 10 days, Dr Rogers said.

The method can also reveal whether veg has been grown in soil or hydroponically.