Organic, geographical indications and quality schemes

• Regulation (EU) 2018/848 — organic production
• Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 — geographical indications
• Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011
• Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices

Who has to appoint one

Anyone marketing products as organic or using a protected designation in the Union. Organic terms are legally protected: only certified operators may use them, and imports require equivalent or compliant certification recognised by the Commission.

Thresholds and exemptions

None. Even a single reference to organic on a label or listing triggers the certification requirement.

What must appear on the label

The EU organic logo with the control body code and the origin statement, or the protected designation with its symbol. Misuse of protected terms, including translations and evocations, is prohibited.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces remove organic claims without a certificate reference, and consumer authorities pursue unsubstantiated green and organic claims under the unfair practices Directive.

Documentation you must hold

Certification from a recognised control body with annual inspection, the certificate of inspection for imports through TRACES, records of inputs and processes, and for geographical indications compliance with the product specification and the control plan.

Standards and testing

Residue testing for prohibited substances, and for geographical indications verification against the specification including origin of raw materials and production methods.

Language requirements

Labels in the language of the member state of sale, with the protected terms in their registered form.

When it applies

Certification before using the terms. Conversion periods apply to organic land and livestock before produce may be sold as organic.

How long records are kept

Certification and inspection records per the control body's requirements, generally at least five years.

What happens if you do not comply

Prohibition of the claim, withdrawal, and fines. Evocation of a protected designation — suggesting the origin without naming it — is also prohibited, as the Court of Justice has confirmed repeatedly.

Who enforces it

National organic control authorities and bodies, geographical indication control bodies, and consumer protection authorities.

Where the boundary lies

Imported organic products need a certificate of inspection through TRACES for each consignment, and the new organic rules replaced equivalence with compliance for most third countries. Green claims that are not organic certification are separately regulated under the empowering consumers Directive.

Questions we are asked

Can we say natural instead of organic?

Natural is not a protected term but must not mislead, and the empowering consumers Directive now restricts vague environmental claims without substantiation.

Is US organic certification accepted?

Recognition arrangements exist but have changed under the new Regulation. Each consignment still needs a certificate of inspection through TRACES.