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BACKGROUND Isotopic discrimination, dietary composition and feeding regime determine the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of animals. Accordingly, measurement of the stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen can be a potential method to identify patterns of pork production. RESULTS In the current study, we investigated the carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratio in pork from organic and conventional systems. The average carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios for various organic tissues, including hair, blood and defatted meat, were higher than those of conventionally raised ones. The discriminant analysis results based on the combination of carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios in defatted meat reached a 100% correct classification. Furthermore, the variation in carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of retail organic and conventional pork has been studied over 1 year. The results suggested that organic pork had a higher δ13C value than that of the conventional pork in all but three fortnights. Grouping of the δ15N data showed that the δ15N value in organic pork was higher than that of the conventional one throughout the whole year. CONCLUSION The method established in the present study provides a potential detection that can be highly valuable to prevent fraudulent labelling of organic pork. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]