Since September 2001, the German Bio-Siegel (organic label) – a green hexagon with the black lettering BIO – has certified all food stuffs from organic farming. According to the Bio-Siegel information service, the "Künast label", named after the then Federal Minister for consumer issues, comprises 2,821 companies and was used to label an overall 47,756 products (May 2008).
The Bio-Siegel award complies with EU Regulations on Organic Production which include the following stipulations:
Bans:
- ban on irradiation of organic food
- ban on genetically modified organisms
- ban on plant protection using synthetic chemical substances
- ban on highly soluble mineral fertilisers
Requirement:
- varied crop rotation
- species-appropriate livestock husbandry with a close relationship to the land
- feeding of livestock with organically grown products without addition of antibiotics and performance-enhancing drugs
Many organic farmers have established associations. The most commonly known associations (in Germany) include Bioland, Biopark, Naturland and Demeter. These associations have even stricter rules and monitoring systems, compared with Bio-Siegel. These organic farmers' associations see themselves as organic "premium brands".
New EU label as of 2009
As of 2009, a new EU-wide organic label will be used. The German "Bio-Siegel" will then be replaced with a new state EU logo. According to the Regulation on Organic Production of December 2006, it is sufficient if an organic product contains 95 per cent of ingredients from organic farming, while many of the private sector organic farming associations stipulate that 100 per cent of the ingredients need to be organically grown.
The new version of the regulation is therefore criticised by organic farmers' associations for being too lenient. On the one hand the new EU regulations still ban genetically modified cereals from organic muesli, but on the other hand, any contamination, e.g. by flying pollen from fields with genetically modified cereals, which is below 0.9 per cent, does not have to be marked on the packaging of organic foods and is therefore not visible to consumers.
Learn more about:
The web portal for the "Bio-Siegel"
