ALL pre-packaged organic food must now carry an EU label under new agricultural regulations announced next week.
The regulations say all pre-packaged organic food made inside any member state carry the new Euroleaf marker, which is the EU stars in the shape of a leaf on a green background.
To carry the label, products must meet EU standards. Organic food operators have two years to adjust to the new labelling policy. The logo is not obligatory for non-packed and imported foods from outside the EU. According to the new labelling laws, organic products must also indicate where their ingredients were harvested and contain the code number of the appropriate agricultural body.
The EU hopes the new label will serve as an effective quality indicator for European shoppers.
“Our hope is that the new EU logo can develop into a widely recognised symbol of organic food production across the EU, providing consumers with confidence that the goods are produced entirely in-line with the strict EU organic farming regulations,” said EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Ciolos.
“I hope that these changes will give a boost to the organic farming sector, but also further enhance consumer protection”.
The label will feature the “Euro-leaf”, a design created by a German student, Dusan Milenkovic, and registered as a collective trademark by the EU commission. The design depicts the EU stars in the shape of a leaf over a green background.
The newly implemented rules will also deal with the production of fish, shellfish and seaweed, the first time the European Union has introduced regulations for aquaculture.
The regulations include the separation of organic and non-organically farmed fish products and detailed animal welfare condition standards including maximum densities for stock, which, the EU claims, is a “measurable indicator of welfare”. The new policies emphasise respect for biodiversity and prohibit forced spawning via the use of unnatural hormones.
Fisheries & Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki says the new aquaculture laws will provide more variety for European shoppers.
“They will give consumers a better choice,” she said. “[They] are a boost for sound and environmentally acceptable production and a viable alternative to the more traditional intensive approach.”
Damanaki believes that the legislation will have a great impact on the aquaculture industry. “The EU is the biggest market in the world for seafood and it is fitting that Europe should play a leading role in establishing comprehensive rules in this domain.”
In 2008, there were approximately 123 authorised organic aquaculture operations in the EU and 225 worldwide. The EU operations produced 25,000 tonnes in 2008, approximately half of the world’s organic aquaculture production that year.
