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Certification resources: food and drink
Guidance, templates and resources to help food and drink businesses understand organic certification requirements, prepare for inspections and stay compliant.
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We want to make the certification process as simple and accessible as possible. We have created this resource hub with documents, templates, guidance, and further information on different aspects of certification. Whether you are an existing client or just starting on your application journey, you should find the information you need here.
Food and drink organic certification standards
Standards
Soil Association organic standards for food and drink in Great Britain
Published 27 Nov 2025
Sets out certification requirements, legal compliance, labelling rules and higher organic standards.
Product resources
We have a range of resources to help with getting organic products approved and added to your licence.
Product specifications
Non-GM declarations
Supplier checks
When sourcing ingredients you will need to ensure suppliers are organically certified. Your direct suppliers (including wholesalers and traders that sell pre-packed certified goods) must hold their own organic certificate for the products they will sell to you.
If correctly certified, your supplier will be able to provide a valid organic certificate and product schedule listing the products they are certified for. The company name on the certificate should match your supplier’s company name. This is also applicable to companies who undertake any contract processing, labelling and packing of products.
If you are looking for a supplier of a particular ingredient, or a certified subcontracted manufacturer or storage site, you can ask us for a list of companies we certify who might be able to help, contact us for more information.
Inspection guidance
During the inspection there are certain records, documents and processes that the inspector will need to see. The checklists below provide an overview of what will need to be available based on the activities you are certified to undertake. There is also guidance on completing the Action Summary Form (ASF) which details any issues identified at the inspection that require attention.
Record keeping templates
We offer a range of record keeping templates for clients. These templates reflect what's required from records in line with the standards. Your inspector will review these during your inspection.
Labelling of organic food and drink
Labelling requirements
Please refer to the standards for information on requirements for labelling organic goods. General organic labelling requirements can be found in section 5.8 of the Food and Drink standards.
Correct use of the Soil Association organic symbol and EU organic registered marks
Download the Soil Association and EU organic logos and read our guidance on using the symbol.
Guidance
Labelling guide
Published 01 Jun 2025
This document is aimed at supplementing the Soil Association standards on labelling, by providing visual examples and further clarification.
Maintaining your organic licence
To support you in maintaining your organic licence with Soil Association Certification, we have developed a simple invoice cycle and a guidance document for you to use.
Guidance
Guide to licence renewal
Published 01 Aug 2020
This guide outlines the key points in relation to maintaining and renewing your licence with us.
Packaging
As the leading UK organic certifier, the Soil Association Certification believes that packaging is an important aspect of what makes a product truly organic.
Below we share our priorities for packaging and guidance for organic businesses looking to enhance their packaging sustainability.
Our packaging priorities
Click on the priority to reveal further information.
Simplification, standardisation, recyclability, and end-of-life built into packaging from the design stage
Transitioning to sustainable packaging requires collaboration from brands, recyclers, consumers, and local authorities. Organic businesses can contribute to this goal by finding packaging formats that are simple, standardised, and compatible with kerbside recycling. This effort pays off as consumers expect to be able to recycle products at home and often judge product sustainability on how easy that is.
The most harmful plastics removed from circulation in the packaging and product supply chain
We believe that plastics must play an important role in the packaging supply chain, but understanding when and how to use plastic packaging – and when to use alternatives – is key to any businesses packaging decisions. Not all plastics are equal, some known as ‘problem plastics’ should be phased out. These are plastics with negative environmental and/or human health impacts in their manufacture, use or disposal. They are single-use, unnecessary or there are alternatives available, and are not consistent with recycling, composting or reuse systems.
No harm to human health or the environment from packaging products
Many packaging products use chemical applications to enhance functions such as grease proofing and oxygen barriers, to prolong shelf-life or to meet food safety regulations. Some of these chemicals widely used in packaging have been found to migrate into food products or escape into the environment. We restrict the use of some of the most harmful chemicals used in packaging manufacture, like phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), and we work with partner organisations to stay on top of any emergent risks.
Packaging materials sourced from systems that support sustainable land management
Where possible we believe there should be limited use of virgin materials in packaging manufacture – the use of wastes, surplus and recycled materials must come first. When this is not possible and when raw materials are required they should come from sustainable land management systems such as responsibly managed forests.
Investment in the infrastructure and regulation to support the removal, reuse and reduction of packaging
The current reliance on packaging in the food system is unsustainable. Tackling this challenge presents opportunities to rethink packaging infrastructure altogether. At the top of the waste hierarchy, removal, reuse, and refill systems are the key area for investment and innovation in packaging. This requires government, business, and citizen collaboration to be truly effective.
Packaging resources
Learn more about organic certification
Find out all you need to know about certification for food and drink businesses.