Organic Standards
What are Organic Standards?
Standards are the rules that define how an organic product must be grown, farmed or made.
All organic food and drink sold in the EU has to meet the EU organic regulation, this is shown by the green leaf logo on pack. The Soil Association wants to ensure the highest possible standards of animal welfare, environmental and wildlife protection, so we have set our own higher – or stricter – standards in key areas. Our standards put our principles into practice and are at the heart of our work.
Soil Association certified products must legally comply with the EU organic regulation, but must also meet our own higher standards – as shown by the soil association logo.
Certification
EU law requires all organic food and drink to be certified by a recognised body, Soil Association Certification Limited is the UK’s leading organic certification body. It carries out inspections and awards organic certification to farms and businesses that meet our standards. You will notice our symbol and certification number (GB-ORG-05) on many items of organic produce. Our certification business is the UK’s oldest and most experienced and licenses over 70% of the organic food on sale here.
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Standards & certification Updates
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While you’re here…
…we’ve got a small favour to ask. You may know us for our organic standards logo but we’re also a charity that relies on fundraising to do our work. We champion a world where people, farm animals and nature can thrive – and we’ve made huge steps forward working with farmers, growers and researchers to find pioneering and practical solutions to today’s farming challenges. But there’s so much more to be done.
You can help change the way we farm, eat and shop for good. If everyone who visits our website, looks out for our logo on organic food, and cares about the food they eat and how it’s been produced, makes a small contribution today, we can do more of the work that really matters.
Soil Association Organic Standards