EU organic production logo
Published by AGRINFO on
European Commission proposes to allow more options for presenting its organic production logo
Draft Commission Delegated Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the presentation of the organic production logo of the European Union [download]
Draft Annex [download]
Update
The Commission proposes to amend the rules on how to present the EU organic production logo to allow use of a black-on-white logo, and to include an RGB colour reference for use in digital images.
Impacted Products
All organic products
What is changing?
Regulation 2018/848, Annex V provides colour and black-and-white models of the EU’s organic production logo. Businesses may apply the black-and-white model where the colour model cannot be used. However, the current rules allow for a logo that is white-on-black (see Figure 1), but not the negative (black-on-white). The Commission proposes to change the rules to allow this option.
The reference colour scheme for the logo currently refers to the four-colour process generally used in printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key or black (CMYK) (see Figure 2). The Commission proposes to also include the three-colour reference generally used in digital images: red, green, and blue (RGB).
Why?
The Commission aims to ensure that the rules for the organic production logo are sufficiently flexible to allow its use on all types/colours of packaging, and to take into account the technical requirements of digital printing.
Timeline
The new rules are expected to be adopted in the third quarter of 2024.
Background
The EU has created an organic production logo to clearly indicate to consumers that produce meets EU organic rules. This logo, including the relevant reference colours, is contained in Annex V to Regulation 2018/848. The logo must be used on all organic food produced in the EU, and may be used on a voluntary basis on non-prepacked organic food produced in the EU.
The EU logo may also be used for products imported from non-EU countries. These products must be labelled (in the same visual field as the logo) as:
- “non-EU Agriculture” or “non-EU Aquaculture” where the raw material has been produced in a non-EU country
- “EU/non-EU Agriculture” or “EU/non-EU Aquaculture” where a part of the raw materials has been produced in a non-EU country.
The words “non-EU” may be replaced or supplemented by the name of the country, or by the name of the country and region where the raw materials are produced.
The words “non-EU” should not be more prominent (colour, size, and style) than the name of the product (Art. 32).
The logo can only be used when more than 95% by weight of the ingredients are organic.
Resources
European Commission: Organic Production and Products
Sources
Draft Commission Delegated Regulation as regards the presentation of the organic production logo of the European Union [download]
Draft Annex [download]
Tables & Figures
