In 18 years, on a global scale, organic agricultural acreage has grown significantly. The number of organic farms between 2000 and 2018 increased 11-fold and organic farming is thus within the reach of an increasingly wide population. Consumption of organic products has even become the standard in certain categories: for example, organic eggs in France post a penetration rate of 90%.
Organic has established itself as a mark of quality, guaranteeing specifications recognized worldwide. The regulations governing this designation are generally common but do have some subtleties depending on the country. Here is a brief overview of the main principles and rules of organic production in Europe and China.
The specifications for organic production are based on 7 key guarantees:
Compound ingredients must contain at least 95% organic ingredients.
Manufacturers are subject to a restriction on the use of authorized processing additives and auxiliaries on regulated positive lists.
Precautionary measures must be put in place throughout the processing and packaging stages to avoid any contamination by products not authorized for use in organic farming (e.g. from GMOs, products not included in the positive lists of additives and processing auxiliaries, etc.).
Perfect traceability must be guaranteed with rigorous monitoring of the material balance to demonstrate that non-organic raw materials are not mixed with certified organic materials.
The labels of BIO Europe certified products must include the “Eurofeuille” logo along with information on the “EU/non-EU agriculture” origin of the product and the certifying body’s unique code.
Professionals engaged in organic production are subject to checks at least once a year by a competent certifying body.
In France, the competence of certifying bodies is validated by the COFRAC which is responsible for issuing accreditations according to specific quality assurance programmes. INAO (National Institute of Appellations of Origin) verifies in particular the application of product control plans.
The Chinese organic certification system does not recognize the European organic certification system. As a result, in order to sell certified organic products in China, it is necessary to certify the whole chain (breeding, processing, distribution) by a certification body accredited in China by the equivalent of the Ministry of Agriculture. The guarantees provided by Chinese organic certification are similar to those for European organic products.
There is no obligation to use this label on BtoB products, while on BtoC products it is compulsory. Use in color is mandatory. Details of the procedure for using this logo are found in the GB standard.
The Europe organic certificate is necessary and sufficient for intra-Community export.
Exports outside Europe require a specific certification for certain third countries (e.g. China, USA, etc.).
The regulations for organic products thus contain strict specifications, with a quality recognized and certified in many countries. Armor Protéines is launching an organic range this year: demineralized whey as well as the first organic Lactoferrin on the market.
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