Module 1

Organic food products:

definition, principles and rules

Techane Bosona & Girma Gebresenbet

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of
Energy and Technology
Uppsala (Sweden)
[email protected]
[email protected]

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Outline
The main contents include:

1. Definition of organic food

2. Rules and procedures for organic food

production

3. Concumers perception on organic product

4. Constraints and opportunities of organic food

production method

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Learning Outcomes
The main learning outcomes are:

i. Understanding of organic food

ii. Increased awarness on rules and procedures
iii. Understanding the diference between
organic and conventional food production
methods
iv. Increased consumers awarness on organic
food
v. Understanding of constraints and
opportunities in organic production methods

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Definition and labelling of
organic food
• Organic agriculture can be described as:
”a holistic production management system which
promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health,
including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil
biological activity. It emphasizes the use of
management practices in preference to the use of
off-farm inputs, taking into account that regional
conditions require locally adapted systems. This is
accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic,
biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to
using synthetic materials, to fulfil any specific
function within the system" (FAO, 1999).

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Definition and labelling of
organic food

• Organic food production sector should be linked to

sustainable food production and it should mainly
use locally available renewable resources as well as
wastes and by-products of plant and animal origin.

• Organic food production is associated with:

 Consumers health
 Animal welfare
 Food security to feed the world
 Environmental advantage

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Definition and labelling cont...
• From European practice typical organic farming
practices include:
Multiannual crop rotation;
efficient use of on-site resources;
strict limits on the use of synthetic pesticides and
fertilizers, livestock antibiotics, food additives and
processing aids and other inputs;
use of plant and animal species that are resistant
to disease and adapted to local conditions; and
an absolute prohibition of the use of genetically
modified organisms.

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Definition and labelling cont...
Organic food labelling
• In food sector, organic label is an indication that the food is
produced in organic production method.
• Any official EU language can be used for organic food labeling
and advertizment.
• EU organic logo can be used together with national or private
logos.

EU organic logo Sweden organic logo

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products
 Definition and labelling cont...
• EU organic logo is designed to create more clarity for
EU consumers
• Organic label is allowed only if at least 95% of food
ingredients are organic
• EU labeling threshold for GMO is 0.9% i.e. If GMO
content 0.9% or less, the food can be labeled
organic
• Organic products also refered as ’bio’ and ’eco’
products

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Rules and principles for organic
food production
There are certain principles or standards established for
organic farming. For instance under European
Commission (EC)
 Regulation (EC) 834/2007: defines the organic production and
labelling of organic products
 Regulation (EC) 889/2008: provides detailed rules for the
implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 on organic
production and labelling of organic products with regard to organic
production, labelling and control
 Regulation (EC) 1235/2008: provides detailed rules for
implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 as regards
the arrangements for imports of organic products from third
countries

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Rules and principles
cont…
Overall principles (Regulation (EC) 834/2007):
• Organic production shall be based on the following principles:
 the appropriate design and management of biological
processes based on ecological systems using natural
resources which are internal to the system
 the restriction of the use of external inputs
 the strict limitation of the use of chemically synthesized
inputs
 the adaptation of the rules of organic production taking
account of sanitary status, regional differences in climate
and local conditions, stages of development and specific
husbandry practices.

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Rules and principles cont…
General rules on the production of processed food
(Article 19, Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 )

• The preparation of processed organic food shall be kept

separate in time or space from non-organic food.
• The product shall be produced mainly from ingredients of
agricultural origin;
• Only additives, processing aids, flavorings, water, salt,
preparations of micro-organisms and enzymes, minerals,
trace elements, vitamins, as well as amino acids and other
micronutrients in foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses
may be used, and only in so far as they have been
authorized for use in organic production;

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Rules and principles cont…
General rules on the production of processed food
(Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 )
• Non-organic agricultural ingredients may be used only if
they have been authorized for use in organic production;
• An organic ingredient shall not be present together with
the same ingredient in non-organic form or an ingredient
in conversion;
• Food produced from in-conversion crops shall contain only
one crop ingredient of agricultural origin
• Substances and techniques that reconstitute properties
that are lost in the processing and storage of organic
food, that correct the results of negligence in the
processing of these products or that otherwise may be
misleading as to the true nature of these products shall
not be used.
Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products
 Rules and principles cont…
Specific principles regarding organic food processing
(Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007)
 the production of organic food from organic agricultural
ingredients, except where an ingredient is not available on
the market in organic form;
 the restriction of the use of food additives, of non organic
ingredients with mainly technological and sensory functions
and of micronutrients and processing aids, so that they are
used to a minimum extent and only in case of essential
technological need or for particular nutritional purposes;
 the exclusion of substances and processing methods that
might be misleading regarding the true nature of the
product;
 the processing of food with care, preferably with the use of
biological, mechanical and physical methods.
Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products
 Rules and principles cont…
General rules on the production of processed feed
(Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007)

• Production of processed organic feed shall be kept

separate in time or space from production of
processed non organic feed.

• Organic feed materials, or feed materials from

production in conversion, shall not enter
simultaneously with the same feed materials
produced by non organic means into the
composition of the organic feed product.
 Rules and principles cont…
General rules on the production of processed feed
(Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007)

• Any feed materials used or processed in organic production

shall not have been processed with the aid of chemically
synthesized solvents.

• Substances and techniques that reconstitute properties that

are lost in the processing and storage of organic feed, that
correct the results of negligence in the processing or that
otherwise may be misleading as to the true nature of these
products shall not be used.
 Rules and principles cont…
Specific principles regarding organic feed processing
(Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007)

• The production of organic feed from organic feed

materials, except where a feed material is not
available on the market in organic form;

• the restriction of the use of feed additives and

processing aids to a minimum extent and only in
case of essential technological or zootechnical
needs or for particular nutritional purposes;
 Rules and principles cont…
• Specific principles regarding organic feed processing
(Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007)

• the exclusion of substances and processing methods that

might be misleading as to the true nature of the product;

• the processing of feed with care, preferably with the use of

biological, mechanical and physical methods.
• The use of ionising radiation for the treatment of organic
food or feed, or of raw materials used in organic food or
feed is prohibited.
 Rules and principles cont…
KRAV standards
• KRAV is Sweden’s most well-known environmental label for
food and beverages, based on ecological principles with
especially high standards for animal welfare, health, social
responsibility and climate impact.
• All KRAV-certified operations have to comply with national
laws such as animal welfare and environmental legislation.
• KRAV standards meet other standards of organic production
at European and international levels. For instance, KRAV
meets standards in IFOAM (international federation of
organic agriculture movements); Regulation (EC)
834/2007, Regulation (EC) 889/2008, Regulation (EC)
1235/2008.
 Rules and principles cont…
KRAV standards and inspection include:
 production conditions,
 products and recipes
 documentation,
 Labelling and
 Sampling and analysis on random basis.

Areas of concern for KRAV include:

 primary production
 production aids and inputs,
 Handling, storage, processing and packaging.
 sales and marketing,
 products and raw materials certified according to other standards
for organic production
 Concumers perception on organic
product

• In Europe, consumers often associate locally produced

and organic food products with higher quality
standards (freshness, nutritional value), healthy
eating, good taste, cultural values, more
environment-friendly production methods and a less
emission.
• With increase of consumers’ demand for local
produces and organic food in Europe [3], land covered
by organic farm increased from 7.27 million hectares
in 2006 to 11.63 million hectares in 2014.

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Concumers perception cont...
• Recent estimates indicate that organic agricultural land
covers about 43.7 million hectares of land worldwide and
about 26.6% of this is in Europe. In Europe organic food
share has increased

• Only in one year (from 2013 to 2014), the organic

agricultural land increased by 2.3%.

• Consumer demand for organic food products in Sweden is

increasing sharply. For instance, only in 2015, about 1600
new KRAV-labeled items entered the Swedish market and
the market for organic food increased by 39% in the same
year.

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Constraints and opportunities
Constraints in organic food value chain
• More growth of organic market than increase of organic
farm area in EU
• Small scale of production and shortage of organic food
supply
• Fragmented food supply chains with increased cost of
distribution to consumers (high logistics cost)
• Producers gain less share of added value along entire
supply chain, especially in matured markets
• Concentration of market power at retail can discourage
other actors
• Similarity between supply chains of organic and
conventional food items

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 Constraints and opportunities cont..
Opportunities for growth of organic food sector:

• Good political and legislative framework at EU level for

organic food production
• Availability of government support at national and EU level
• Organic food products have specific quality
• High consumer demand
• Opportunity to create co-operation and increase bargaining
power
• Possibility to create organic brands at regional levels
• Involvement of public sectors (example schools, health
centres ) in purchasing organic food products

Module: Sustainable processing for organic food products

 References cont...
• Röös E. And Karlsson H. Effect of eating seasonal on
the carbon footprint of Swedish vegetable
consumption. Journal of Cleaner Production, 59
(2013): 63-72.
• EPRS. Short food supply chains and local food
systems in the EU. European Parliamentary Research
Service (EPRS), 2016.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/
BRIE /2016/586650/EPRS _BRI(2016)586650
_EN.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2017
• ENRD (2014). Organic farming. A publication from
European network for rural development. European
rural review, No. 18.
 References cont...
• Arbenz M., Gould D., Stopes C. (2015). The world of organic
agriculture: Statistics and emerging trends. Research
Institute of Organic Agriculture -FiBL and IFOAM-Organics
International. ISOFAR International Organic EXPO 2015,
Goesan County.

• EC (2007). Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June

2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products
and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91. Official Journal
of the European Union.
• KRAV (2018). Standards for KRAV-certified production 2018.
The KRAV Association.
http://www.krav.se/sites/default/files/krav_standards_2018.
pdf
 References cont...

• EC (2007). Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 on organic

production and labelling of organic products and repealing
Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91. Official Journal of the European
Union.
• Brul P., Mattsson E., Parrott N., Stopes C. (2013). Organic food
and farming for all. Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.
Project report, Green Action Week 2013 and 2014, Stockholm.
ISBN:978-91-558-0115-1.
• FAO (1999). Organic Agriculture. Committee on Agriculture, 25-
29 January 1999, Rome. http://www.fao.org/docrep/
meeting/X0075e.htm#P86_4004, accessed on 20-10-2016.