New logo for organic products

The EU organic logo. picture: European Union

What producers in Europe already know will be made known to consumers by July. The new EU logo for organic products. The logo was shown for the first time on February 8, 2010 after an online vote was cast. From July 1, it will be compulsory to mark all packaged organic products, which are produced in the European Union, with this new label. For imported products, using the new logo is optional. Apart from a second new optional label „not genetically modified“ it will be the only state-approved seal of quality for food.

The new compulsory logo displays the EU stars to form the outline of a leaf. The consumer is expected to associate this at once with nature, and ecological and fresh food. It remains to be seen if it works.
The previous logo was first used back in 2000 to label products but it was not compulsory. This will all change from July with the new compulsory EU label. The new logo could be a blessing for consumers in the midst of all the different organic labelling. Other labels – like the German Bio-Siegel will still be used. What does the Europe-wide logo mean in detail for producers and consumers in the EU?

What’s in it for the producer?
With the new logo and the booming organic market, there is a chance to strengthen products on the food market. To obtain the certificate the producers have to keep to the guidelines established in the EC directive. In addition, all producers will be given a changeover period of a minimum of two years, in which the logo will be introduced and established. But this will not worry companies which believe in the success and viability of ecological production. And producers, who already comply with the criteria, can only profit from the new logo. Big companies could also profit from organic production if sales increase. But what are the producers’ opinions? What difficulties and benefits can they expect from this change?

What does the consumer gain?
The new logo is expected to make it easier to find products all over the EU, which are produced according to the organic standards of the European Union. The rules are a little less strict than the ones made by organic organisations.
Synthetic chemical sprays may be used in special cases. Additives, which are produced with genetically modified organisms, may also be used if there is no alternative available. Even if the EU guidelines are less strict, they should still give consumers the security of buying a product which is at least to 95% made from ecologically-produced ingredients. It doesn’t matter in which EU country it is bought. This is expected to gain the trust of consumers. Even before the introduction of the logo, the EU issued warnings of inspections without prior notice and stricter monitoring of ecological production. EU officials keep pointing out the huge impact of the logo for consumer protection. The possibility of the product labelled with the new logo not complying with the asked for criteria is very unlikely. Nevertheless, consumers still have to decide for themselves if production conditions justify the long transportation of organic products right across the EU. The logo does not say anything about the overall ecological balance of the products.

What is your opinion as a producer? Is the new organic logo a sensible initiative? Or do you think the booming organic market is only a passing fad, and not a viable investment?