Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007Show full title

Article 23 Use of terms referring to organic production

1. For the purposes of this Regulation a product shall be regarded as bearing terms referring to the organic production method where, in the labelling, advertising material or commercial documents, such a product, its ingredients or feed materials are described in terms suggesting to the purchaser that the product, its ingredients or feed materials have been obtained in accordance with the rules laid down in this Regulation. In particular, the terms listed in the Annex, their derivatives or diminutives, such as ‘bio’ and ‘eco’, alone or combined, may be used throughout the Community and in any Community language for the labelling and advertising of products which satisfy the requirements set out under or pursuant to this Regulation.

In the labelling and advertising of live or unprocessed agricultural products terms referring to the organic production method may be used only where, in addition, all the ingredients of that product have also been produced in accordance with the requirements laid down in this Regulation.

2. The terms referred to in paragraph 1 shall not be used anywhere in the Community and in any Community language for the labelling, advertising and commercial documents of a product which does not satisfy the requirements set out under this Regulation, unless they are not applied to agricultural products in food or feed or clearly have no connection with organic production.

Furthermore, any terms, including terms used in trademarks, or practices used in labelling or advertising liable to mislead the consumer or user by suggesting that a product or its ingredients satisfy the requirements set out under this Regulation shall not be used.

3. The terms referred to in paragraph 1 shall not be used for a product for which it has to be indicated in the labelling or advertising that it contains GMOs, consists of GMOs or is produced from GMOs according to Community provisions.

4. As regards processed food, the terms referred to in paragraph 1 may be used:

(a) in the sales description, provided that:

(i)

the processed food complies with Article 19;

(ii)

at least 95 % by weight, of its ingredients of agricultural origin are organic;

(b) only in the list of ingredients, provided that the food complies with Article 19(1), 19(2)(a), 19(2)(b) and 19(2)(d);

(c) in the list of ingredients and in the same visual field as the sales description, provided that:

(i)

the main ingredient is a product of hunting or fishing;

(ii)

it contains other ingredients of agricultural origin that are all organic;

(iii)

the food complies with Article 19(1), 19(2)(a), 19(2)(b) and 19(2)(d).

The list of ingredients shall indicate which ingredients are organic.

In the case where points (b) and (c) of this paragraph apply, the references to the organic production method may only appear in relation to the organic ingredients and the list of ingredients shall include an indication of the total percentage of organic ingredients in proportion to the total quantity of ingredients of agricultural origin.

The terms and the indication of percentage referred to in the previous subparagraph shall appear in the same colour, identical size and style of lettering as the other indications in the list of ingredients.

5. Member States shall take the measures necessary to ensure compliance with this Article.

6. The Commission may in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 37(2) adapt the list of terms set out in the Annex.