the soil association

The soil association trademark is one of the most recognisable organic symbol here in the UK. They are an independent charity organisation promoting the highest level of organic integrity.

They do certification and inspections to make sure that their standards are adhered to.

but there are other standards as well

You may be familiar with the Soil Association in the UK, but have you heard about the AB logo, Bio Suisse, USDA/NOP, JAS, Naturland, EKO or even EU 2092/91 as well?

Different countries have different certification bodies and standards. With the organic market now worth approximately £1.2 billion per year in the UK, identifying a genuine organic product can be confusing for a consumer. The good news is that organic labelling is strictly regulated in the UK in accordance with EU regulation and several UK organic standards. This means that all foods sold as organic must come from growers, processors and importers who are registered with an approved certification body and are regularly inspected.

So the next time you visit the shop, check out an organic product and look for the certifying body on the label – this can be seen as a logo or identifying code number or both, such as Soil Association logo or ‘Organic Certification: UK5.’ There are other certification bodies, and other codes ranging from UK2, UK3, UK15, etc.

The list of approved UK certification bodies can be found in DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) web site.

Organic foods coming from other countries must also satisfy UK organic standards. DEFRA grants authorisations to organic imports and must satisfy EU and UK regulations. Few examples are bananas, teas and coffees, as we don’t farm them locally.

There are independent third party certification companies such as Control Union (formerly Skal International) which are recognised by different government authorities. After all, applicable organic regulations require independent third party to do inspection on the production and processing of organic products.