EUROPEAN ORGANIC CERTIFICATION
Almost 30 percent of the certified organic agricultural land worldwide is in Europe, according to the European Commission. In the EU, around 5.6 percent of farmland is managed organically compared to only 0.8 percent in the USA.
Organic production has been determined at the EU level since 1991. In March 2002, the European Commission issued an EU-wide label for organic food. This label has been mandatory throughout the EU since July 2010. All products labeled as organic and sold in the EU must be produced in accordance with these regulations and use this EU-green leaf with white stars label. Similar to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) organic label regulations.
The EU logo makes it easier for consumers to identify organic products and helps farmers to market them across the entirety of the EU. This European organic leaf can only be used on products certified by an authorized body when they contain at least 95% of organic ingredients and additionally respect further strict conditions for the remaining 5%.
For further information visit the Union’s website.
In 2014 the EU Commission published a proposal for a new organic regulation. Determined by the EU Parliament and Council, the new regulation was published on June 14, 2018, and went into effect on January 1, 2021, according to Ifoam-eu.org.
Can European-certified products be sold in the United States?
The United States has an equivalence arrangement with the European Union. If the terms of the arrangement are met, products certified to EU organic standards may be labeled and sold as organic and viceversa.
Increasing cooperation between both countries in this sector continues to grow that is why it is important for Organicity to be present to dialogue at sector trade fairs in the USA.
