New European Union organic regulation soon

So what does organic actually mean. People will, and do, pay extra for a food that is branded as being organic. Therefore having a clear, concise and agreed definition of what organic actually means is vitally important to both the food industry and it’s customers.

So the recent proposed Regulation on organic products and labelling of organic products by the European Commission (EC) has been welcomed by many.

According to EC figures the organic market in the European Union has quadrupled over the last 10 years. This is a massive increase, by any measure, and shows the impact that being branded has on the sales of a food product.

Mr Dacian Ciolos, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development for the EC, said; “The future of the organic sector in the EU depends on quality and integrity of the products sold under the European organic logo. The Commission is looking for more and better organic farming in the EU by consolidating consumer confidence in organic products and removing obstacles to the development of organic agriculture. This package is good for consumers and good for farmers. Consumers will have been guarantees on organic food made and sold in the EU and farmers, producers and retailers will have access to a larger market, both within and outside the EU.”

There are three main objectives of the proposed Regulation;

• maintaining consumer confidence
• maintaining producer confidence
• making it easier for farmers to switch to organics

The following are the main aims of the Regulation;

• To strengthen and harmonise rules, both in the EU and for imported products, by removing many of the current exception in terms of production and controls
• To reinforce controls by making them risk-based
• To make it easier for small farmers to join organic farming by introducing the possibility to sign up to a group certification system
• To better address the international dimension of trade in organic products with the addition of new provisions on exports
• To simplify the legislation to reduce administrative costs for farmers and improve transparency.

As change is not something that can happen quickly, in most cases, the EC has approved an Action Plan on the future of Organic Production in Europe. This Plan will assist farmers and other move toward compliance with the proposed Regulation and to encourage organic food use by the public.

The proposed Regulation will be submitted to the European Parliament shortly.

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach