There are different organic certification labels, and this can sometimes confuse us and make it difficult to understand if there is a difference between them, or if they are reliable and guarantee that the products we are buying are really organic. What exactly does each label guarantee?

Organic, ecological, biological, natural, vegan, not tested on animals, fair trade... are they all the same thing? Not at all. Why are there so many different labels and labels on the products we find on the market today? Are we sure we know what they mean? Today we will talk about the eco-labels in food.

To begin with, the first filter that differentiates one mention from another and that we have to bear in mind is whether there is a regulation that governs the use of that mention. If there is a regulation, it states how to use the term, what the term means and which entity controls it. In the case of organic production, there is an EU regulation that must be complied with: Regulation (EC) 834/2007 is the current regulation and its compliance is controlled with annual on-site audits of all registered operators. In this case, there are products controlled by public authorities, and others controlled by private bodies, but which have to be recognised by the European Union. Although these two systems coexist in the European area - in Catalonia we only have the public system - all the controls are carried out to verify whether the organic production system has been carried out in accordance with the regulations.

Each member state of the European Union is the competent authority for the control of organic production and labelling (normally, the national ministries of agriculture or public health are responsible), or, as in the case of Spain, the competence is exercised by the autonomous communities. These national authoritiesIn addition, they also have the possibility to delegate part or all of the control of production and labelling to public control authorities or private bodies. This is why in Europe there can be disparities in the number of seals and logos that accompany an organic product, depending on who has carried out the inspection. Nevertheless, the European seal - or "Euroleaf" - is a common element, as it is compulsory.

In Spain, public control authorities and authorised private bodies coexist to certify and control the production and labelling of organic products at the level of the autonomous community. In the case of Catalonia, the Catalan Council of Ecological Agricultural Production (CCPAE) is the authority in charge of auditing and certifying our country's agri-food products, and has its own seal that you are probably very familiar with (and which sometimes coexists with the European seal); but we can also find other seals:

In addition to the seals, there are other mandatory elements on the label that will help us to confirm that a product is organic, such as the reference of the organic production method, the code of the control authority and the origin of the raw materials. In addition, all organic ingredients must be highlighted.

It is important to remember that the terms organic, organic, biological and organic are equivalent according to the European organic production regulations. and are therefore used interchangeably to categorise the production standards mentioned in this article.

So what does it mean for a product to have the organic label?

The "organic" label applies to products of all kinds, such as fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy products, wine, eggs, cereals, coffee, chocolate, agricultural products, etc. When we buy a certified organic food, we can be sure that it has been produced, processed, packaged, labelled and marketed according to very strict production standards based on respect for the environment, animal welfare and techniques that maintain the natural properties of the raw materials as much as possible.

Why can we rely on eco-certifications?

Organic food certification guarantees:

Inspections of producers at least once a year.
Ongoing monitoring and analysis of the production system and of the products and labelling.
That the production system protects the environment and uses environmentally friendly treatments.
The animals live in dignified living conditions, respecting their biological and behavioural needs. The animals get regular exercise, have access to outdoor and grazing areas, and eat organic feed.
No genetically modified (GM) products or derivatives are used.
What no chemical pesticides are usedfertilisers, in agri-food products.
That there is a maximum preservation of properties organoleptic and nutritional properties of foodstuffs.
Traceability: knowledge of the origin and destination of the products

Other logos on labels

Sometimes these seals coexist on product labels with other unofficial certifications, which are governed by private standards and indicate other production methods, which in no case can guarantee that they are organic. A common mistake, for example, can be to think that a product that has not been tested on animals, that is natural, 100% plant-based or fair trade, is also organic. One does not exclude the other, but neither is the relationship so obvious.

Other common stamps in our market:

Stamp of Vegan Societyindicating that the product is 100% of plant origin (does not include any elements of animal origin).

Seal indicating that products have not been tested on animals (often found on cosmetic product labels).

Fair Trade Internationalwhich indicates that the product is fair trade.

These will be discussed later.