Organic processing - requirements and process

The organic product is protected beyond the field

Processing must preserve the organic integrity of the raw material. The Regulation sets requirements for ingredients, additives, technologies and separation from conventional products. The aim is for the consumer to receive a product whose label they can trust.

Main requirements

• Ingredients: at least 95% of the agricultural ingredients must be organic for the term "organic" to be used in the product name. The remaining up to 5% may only come from expressly authorised non-organic ingredients. With a lower share, the organic ingredients may be indicated only in the list of ingredients.
• Additives and processing aids: only those authorised in Regulation (EU) 2021/1165. Flavourings must be natural. Ionising radiation and engineered nanomaterials are prohibited.
• Technologies: mechanical, physical, biological and enzymatic methods are preferred. Techniques that restore properties lost during processing or storage are not used.
• Separation: in parallel processing, organic batches are processed separately in time or space. Before them, the line is cleaned and this is documented. Raw materials and finished products are stored separately and clearly labelled.
• Precautionary measures: assessment of the risks of contamination and commingling, pest control only with authorised products, documented procedures.
• Organic wine: only certain oenological practices are permitted. The sulphite content is limited to 100 mg/l for red wines and 150 mg/l for white and rosé wines (higher where residual sugar exceeds 2 g/l).

Recipes and labels

Every recipe is reviewed: ingredients, origin, supplier certificates, additives. Changes are agreed with us in advance. The label of prepacked food bears the EU logo, the code BG-BIO-02 and the origin of the agricultural raw materials: “EU Agriculture”, “non-EU Agriculture” or “EU/non-EU Agriculture”. Send us the draft label before printing.

Subcontractors

If you outsource processing or packaging to another company, it must be under control - with its own certificate or included in the control of your company. Responsibility for the organic status of the product remains yours.

What is inspected on site

The inspector goes through the entire site: receipt of raw materials, production, packaging, storage. They check the supplier certificates, recipes, batch records, cleaning records and pest control measures. They draw up a balance of incoming raw materials and outgoing products and check the labels. Samples are taken where necessary.

Documents

• application, contract and annual production programme;
• a description of the site and the technological processes, a list of products and recipes;
• a list of suppliers with valid certificates;
• batch records, registers of purchases, production, sales and cleaning;
• draft labels.

Price

The fee consists of a basic annual fee and an hourly rate for the control time, which depends on the number of products, processes and sites. The exact amounts are in our price list.

Private standards and markets

• Bio Suisse - for processed products for Switzerland; recipes are approved by Bio Suisse before the first certification.
• KRAV - stricter requirements for additives and packaging for the Swedish market.
• NOP (USDA) - certificates for export to the USA, for example for essential oils and dried herbs.