Symbol use

The symbol application is controlled through specific guidelines provided in chapter two of our organic standards. Below is a comprehensive summary of these guidelines but please consult the full standards for definitive guidance. All use of the symbol must be approved by your certification officer, the Soil Association Organic symbol is a registered trademark, unauthorised use may result in legal action. The symbol files can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

Using the Soil Association symbol

The Soil Association organic symbol is a registered certification mark (®) of Soil Association Limited.

We have made some changes to our symbol to improve readability and recognition for consumers. The new symbol design is available for use from January 2009 but to reduce waste (for example, packaging) the final deadline for switching to the new symbol is 1 January 2012. until then, it is acceptable to use either symbol.



You may only use the symbol on your products if you hold a valid certificate of registration from us. You must only use it for organic products identified on your trading schedule.

You may use the symbol on company stationery, promotional literature and websites if we certify your entire product range. otherwise you must only use the symbol if you state clearly which products, lines or ranges it applies to. All uses of the symbol must be approved by your certification officer prior to marketing, see the full standards for details.

From July 2010, you must use our symbol on the final (consumer) packaging of the products we certify except where we agree there is a good reason for not doing so.

Note – examples of exceptions we might agree are:

• on temporary or off-the-shelf labels or packaging
• where the label is so small that it would jeopardise other information required by law
• where the supply of ingredients complying with our standards is variable so
• the product cannot always carry the symbol

We will be completing a consultation on when exceptions should be made in early 2009. Please contact your certification officer for more information.

What the symbol should look like

You must reproduce the symbol from original artwork. Please contact your certification officer for a copy of the symbol.

The symbol must appear:

• complete and upright
• in proportion to the product description
• at least 10mm in diameter (example 'A')
• in black or white (examples 'B' and 'C')
• clearly visible
• clear and legible over the whole of a background, for example if used over a photograph (example 'D'), and
• no less prominent than the EU logo.

You must ask us if you wish to use the symbol at a smaller size than 10mm in diameter (for example on very small packaging) or in a colour other than black and white.

Examples of how to use the symbol:



The symbol should be:

• on the main face of the label or packaging
• in proportion to the product description, but it works best if it is at least 12mm in diameter, and
• placed on a clear background that extends 30% beyond the area of the symbol (for example 3mm around a symbol 10mm in diameter)

The symbol must not appear:

• against a background that affects the legibility of the symbol (example 'E')
• incomplete
• at an angle
• within an extra circle either of an outline or solid colour (example 'F')
• in more than one colour (example 'G'), or
• with a different font or typeface (example 'H').

Examples of how not to use the symbol:




A version of the 'Soil Association organic' symbol is available in Welsh.

The EU organic logo

From 1 July 2010 and at least before 1 January 2012, your labels of packaged organic products must also include the EU logo. Your certifier code must be placed directly under the logo followed by a declaration of where the ingredients have been farmed.

Please see the PDF below which details the changes and what action licensees and applicants need to take.certification_eu_logo_guidance.pdf

Our certifier code

Our certifier code is 'GB-ORG-005'; it must appear directly under the EU logo. This certifier code will replace the old certifier code 'organic certification UK5'. You must use the new certifier code from 1 July 2010 and at least before 1 January 2012 but until then, it is acceptable to use either code.  Please see the full standards, for when to use 'GB-ORG-005'.

The approved product symbol

You may use the approved product symbol (which replaces the certified product symbol from January 2009) on non-organic products such as salt and agricultural inputs certified under our approved products scheme. You may not use the Soil Association organic symbol on these products. Please ask us if you would like further information on this scheme.



The Soil Association organic symbol may only be used by Soil Association licensees. Each use of our symbol (including labels, literature or online) must be approved by your certification officer before marketing.

New Soil Association organic symbol downloads

Following consultation, the changes to our symbol have now been approved. Our symbol will now also be compulsory on all consumer packaging from July 2010, in line with the timescale for the introduction of the mandatory new EU logo. Although the new logo is available for use now, licensees have until January 2012 to make the switch.

The following symbol packs are ZIP files containing variations of the symbol in a variety of formats ready for print: EPS, TIF, BMP & JPG

• New Soil Association organic symbol pack [ZIP, 630KB]
• New approved product symbol pack [ZIP, 645KB]

If you don't have an application to open the ZIP files (Mac users running OSX will not need this), download and install this free application:

• 7-Zip (for Windows)