IP Clinic: How do I get certification?
01 April 2010
My marketing colleagues want us to add logos to our product to show that we use fair traded, organic, ethically-sourced ingredients. What do I need to know about using these kinds of marks?
The certifier
As of 1991 anyone who farms or further processes food products is obliged to comply with current EU regulation (EC) 834/2007 where they intend to market the product as "organic". This regulation requires the product marketer to be licensed with an approved EU body to verify any such claim. The term organic is not ubiquitous across the EU, with the regulation encompassing other equivalent references to organic, such as "biologique", "eco2", "eko" and "bio". The term "processing" includes manufacturing, packing, re-packing, importing (from non-EU countries), labelling, re-labelling and certain forms of storage (loose products, or products stored in warehousing that is not exclusively under contract from a retailer) of organic products. EU bodies that are approved to certify to the EU regulation are permitted to set additional standards above and beyond those required by the regulation, such as the Soil Association in the UK.
Although a compulsory...
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