Organic products in the European Union are labelled in a uniform and consistent manner, making them easy to recognise for consumers in all Member States. Since 1 July 2010, all retail packaging of certified organic food must bear the EU organic farming logo, known as the Euroleaf. The symbol depicts a stylised leaf made up of 12 white stars on a green background, referring to both nature and the community spirit of the EU.
The Euroleaf as a protected symbol
The organic food logo is the legal property of the European Union and functions as a protected Community trademark. This means that its graphic form must be reproduced faithfully – it must not be transformed, stylised or used as part of commercial branding.
The use of the symbol is governed by detailed rules. The standard size of the logo is 9 × 13.5 mm, while for exceptionally small labels, a format of 6 × 9 mm is permitted. The green background has a precisely defined colour code. For single-colour labels, a black and white version, white on a dark background or in the same colour as the font is permitted. If the background of the packaging is very similar to the Euroleaf green, the logo must be framed to remain visible.
Mandatory elements for the labelling of organic food
The Euroleaf is not the only mandatory marking. Two additional pieces of information must be provided in the immediate vicinity of the logo:
- The number of the certification body. It consists of:
- a two-letter country code,
- the organic status symbol,
- the identification number assigned to the certification body by the competent authority.
Examples of formats are:
IT-BIO-000, ES-ECO-00, DE-ÖKO-000, IE-ORG-00.
The certification body of the entity that last performed the activities preparing the product for sale is indicated – this may be the producer, processor, packager or subcontractor.
- Indication of the origin of raw materials
This information is located just below the certification body number. It may take the form of:- “EU agriculture”,
- “Non-EU agriculture”,
- “EU/non-EU agriculture”.
From 2022, in accordance with Regulation 2018/848, it will be possible to indicate the country or region in more detail if 95% of the ingredients come from a given area and the product is single-ingredient or largely homogeneous. In this case, indications such as Agricultura España, Agricoltura Italia, Agricultura Andalucía, Agricoltura Sicilia will be used.
When is the use of the Euroleaf mandatory and when is it optional?
The EU logo must appear on all retail organic products, whether they are processed, unprocessed, single-ingredient or multi-ingredient. In the case of composite products, at least 95% of the weight of the ingredients must come from organic farming in order for the logo to be used.
Organic products may be sold without the logo only if they are sold directly from the producer to the consumer and do not include standard retail packaging.
There is also no obligation to display the logo on:
- wholesale packaging,
- products imported from non-EU countries, even if they meet EU organic standards,
- raw materials and semi-finished products used in further processing (unless the producer decides to use the logo voluntarily).
The use of the Euroleaf logo in marketing activities is voluntary, but is also subject to the rules applicable to the EU’s registered trademark.
When is it not permitted to use the Euroleaf?
The logo may not be used if:
- The product comes from a farm in conversion
Until the conversion process from conventional to organic farming is fully completed, the product is not entitled to the logo. - The product contains less than 95% organic ingredients
The product may contain organic ingredients, but it cannot be labelled as organic. - The product is produced in a catering establishment or is a mixture of organic and non-organic ingredients
In this case, only the organic ingredients may be listed in the ingredients list and their percentage indicated.
Why are the labelling regulations so detailed?
Although the system seems complex, its purpose is to ensure the complete reliability of organic products placed on the EU market. The presence of the Euroleaf logo together with other labels gives consumers the certainty that they are buying food that meets strict organic production standards.
