Voluntary Report - public distribution

**Date:** 4/6/2004

**GAIN Report Number:** E24064

E24064

**European Union**

**Organic Products**

**Stricter Organic Labeling Rules**

**2004**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Christine Strossman

U.S. Mission to the European Union, Brussels

**Prepared by:**

Hilde Brans

**Report Highlights:**

Council Regulation 2092/91 has been amended to prohibit, as of 1 July
2005, the use of terms suggesting an organic connotation such as \"bio\"
or \"eco\" on products which are not organic.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Brussels USEU \[BE2\]

\[E2\]

**Stricter organic labeling rules**

Council Regulation 2092/91 provides for an EU wide protection of certain
terms used to indicate to the consumer that a food or feed product has
been produced in accordance with the EU's organic production rules.
Council Regulation 1804/1999 extended the protection to the usual
derivatives of these terms. However, regulation 1804/1999 also provided
for a derogation until July 2006, for trade marks using one of the
protected terms (e.g. Danone's "Bio yoghurt") on conventional products
on condition that the trade mark had been registered before July 22,
1991.

To prevent any misinterpretation or misuse, Council Regulation 2092/91
has been amended to prohibit, as of 1 July 2005, the use of terms
suggesting an organic connotation such as "bio" or "eco" on products
which are not organic. Only organic food products complying with the
EU's organic production will be allowed to display labels using EU
organic terminology. The following terms, in any EU language, or their
usual derivatives or diminutives, alone or combined, will be regarded as
indications referring to organic production methods:

\- in Spanish: ecológico

\- in Danish: økologisk

\- in German: ökologisch, biologisch

\- in Greek: βιολογικό

\- in English: organic

\- in French: biologique

\- in Italian: biologico

\- in Dutch: biologisch

\- in Portuguese: biológico

\- in Finnish: luonnonmukainen

\- in Swedish: ekologisk

The regulation does not apply to non-agricultural products or products
which clearly have no connection with the organic production method.

The amendment, published as Council Regulation 392/2004, can be
downloaded from the Internet at
<http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2004/l_065/l_06520040303en00010003.pdf>.

**Visit our website:** our website
**[www.useu.be/agri/usda.html]{.underline}** provides a broad range of
useful information on EU import rules and food laws and allows easy
access to USEU reports, trade information and other practical
information. More information on organics can be found at
[www.useu.be/agri/organic.html](http://www.useu.be/agri/organic.html).
E-mail: AgUSEUBrussels@usda.gov

**Related reports from USEU Brussels:**

  ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ ------------------
  **Report Number**                                            **Title**                            **Date Released**

  E24024                                                       European Hearing on Organic Food and 2/12/2004
                                                               Farming                              

  E23248                                                       Council Conclusions on the EU's      12/24/2003
                                                               Organic Action Plan                  

  These reports can be accessed through our website                                                 
  [www.useu.be/agri](http://www.useu.be/agri) or through the                                        
  FAS website                                                                                       
  <http://www.fas.usda.gov/scriptsw/attacherep/default.asp>.                                        
  ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ ------------------