Definition
An organic food product is a product resulting from organic agriculture. Organic agriculture applies natural methods of production and does not use synthetic chemical products and genetically modified organisms (GMO).
A European organic logo has been used in the European Union (EU) since 2010.
To receive the organic label, a product must be composed of at least 95% of ingredients from organic agriculture (meat, fruits, vegetables, fish, etc.).
Obligations and controls
To be allowed to place an organic logo on its food products, a company must submit to the control system and must receive organic certification for its products.
Imported products are only recognized as organic in the European Union when they fulfill one of the following conditions, in application of the Council Regulation N°834/2007:
- the origin of the products is a third country, whose system of production complies with principles and production rules equivalent to those laid down in the regulation (article 33, paragraph 2 of the Council Regulation N°834/2007)
- the products are controlled and certified by a control authority or control body recognized and supervised by the European Commission (article 33, paragraph 3 of the Council Regulation N°834/2007).
Before the release of the imported organic products on the market, the Administration of Agricultural Technical Services (ASTA) has to verify the documents and the products during an inspection procedure.
If there is any doubt, the ASTA may require that the product is not placed on the market with the organic label as long the ASTA has not received proof of the organic origin of the goods.
The following figure shows an example of the organic labeling for an organic product coming from Luxembourg, with the mandatory EU logo and an optional national logo.
Related organizations
The Administration of Agricultural Technical Services is responsible for:
- supervising organic certification in Luxembourg.
- verifying the proper use of the organic label on imported products
- certifying private control agencies and organic products.
The list of control agencies may be viewed on the Agriculture portal.