Farming - Organic: Consumer information
Frequently asked questions about organic food and farming
- What is organic food?
- Are there laws controlling organic food production ?
- What is the definition of organic farming ?
- How can you tell that food is organic?
- What about labelling of organic foods?
- What about imported food?
What is organic food?
In one sense all food is organic, because it has come from plants or animals. However for some fifty years the word organic has been used to describe food grown without most artificial fertilisers or pesticides and in a way that emphasises crop rotation, making the most of natural fertilisers and ensuring that the life of the soil is maintained. Animals are kept in ways which minimise the need for medicines and other chemical treatments.
Are there laws controlling organic food production?
For many years there have been codes for organic farming prepared by voluntary bodies and applied to their members. In 1993 a European Community Regulation became effective. The most recent consolidated version of Council Regulation (EEC) 2092/91 
(110 KB), together with its Annexes, is available here along with recent amendments. This describes the inputs and practices which may be used in organic farming and growing, and the inspection system which must be put into place to ensure this. The Regulation also applies to processing and ingredients in organic foods. So all food sold as organic must come from growers, processors or importers who are registered and subject to regular inspection. Organic producers are only allowed to use a very limited range of external inputs and then only under certain specified circumstances. The current legally enforceable UK standards based on this regulation can be found in the Compendium of UK Organic Standards (366 KB).
What is the definition of organic farming?
The Compendium of UK Organic Standards as described in the above link define organic farming as:
"Organic production systems are designed to produce optimum quantities of food of high nutritional quality by using management practices which aim to avoid the use of agro-chemical inputs and which minimise damage to the environment and wildlife.
The principles include:
- Working with natural systems rather than seeking to dominate them
- The encouragement of biological cycles involving micro-organisms, soil flora and fauna, plants and animals
- The maintenance of valuable existing landscape features and adequate habitats for the production of wildlife, with particular regard to endangered species
- Careful attention to animal welfare considerations
- The avoidance of pollution
- Consideration for the wider social and ecological impact of the farming system."
How can you tell that food is organic?
It is not possible to prove just by looking at it or by testing whether food is organic. That is why inspection during production is so important. It is illegal to sell any food as organic unless it has been produced in full conformity with the EU Organic Regulation by registered producers. So the use of the word organic accompanied by the correct code and/or certification information as shown below on the label or within the shop is your guarantee that it has been organically produced.
What about labelling of organic foods?
The rules that govern the labelling of organic foods come from Regulation EC2092/91 as amended. Please see above. They are designed to ensure that consumers are not misled.
Crop products (e.g. potatoes) may be described as organic only if grown by a certified producer of organic foods. You might see on the label "Organically Grown Potatoes" or just "Organic Potatoes". Labels must indicate the organic certification body with which the packer of the potatoes is registered. In the EU this must be done using a code number, although the name or trademark of the certification body may also be shown. In the UK these codes take the form “Organic Certification UK*” (the * being a number – currently 1 to 15), differing code formats are used by the various EU member states. Food imported from outside the EU will not have an EU code number but the details of the certification body responsible should be clearly shown on the label.
The rules are the same for manufactured foods with one or more organic ingredients. For example in the case of bread the label might say "wholemeal bread baked from organic flour" or "organic wholemeal bread". The EU regulation recognises that it is not yet possible to source all ingredients in organic form. To allow for this the manufacturer can use up to 5% of certain authorised non-organic food ingredients and still label the product as organic. However genetically-modified ingredients are never allowed in organic foods.
For foods which contain 70 - 95% organic ingredients the word organic appears only in the ingredients list and as a description on the front of label to show the percentage of ingredients which are organic. Such foods are rarely seen in the UK these days.
What about imported food?
The EU Organic Regulation operates throughout the EU and organic food produced under the Regulation may be freely sold within the EU. A limited number of countries from outside the EU are currently recognised as having an equivalent system and their food may be freely imported and sold within the EU. For other countries the importer who brings the organic food into the UK must demonstrate that the food is produced to organic standards equivalent to the EU Regulation in order to receive a Defra authorisation to import.
Further information is available on our Importers page.
Page last modified: 1 July 2006
Page published: 1 July 2006