From today new organic seal

From today a new organic label for Europe.

(01.07.2010) From today the 1.7.2010 there is a new uniform seal for organic products for Europe. The organic seal applies to packaged and manufactured in the European Community products, which is at least 95 percent organic. With the new label consumers in the EU should be able to clearly see which products come from organic farming and which are not. So far, there was no single eco-label.

How to recognize the new organic logo?
On the seal you can see twelve stars of Europe on a light green background (see picture). The twelve stars form a slightly curved leaf. The new logo is mandatory for all organic products from the EU. With the seal, consumers recognize whether the product meets the requirements of the EU Organic Regulation during production and inspection. The eco-label guarantees that at least 95% of the product comes from organic farming. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides must not be used. Animals must be kept in an appropriate manner and fed only with organic food. The animals must not be supplied with antibiotics or other artificial substances. Overall, regulations are similar to those for the German organic seal. However, the well-known German organic logo will continue to exist, but there will also be logos of other private initiatives.

Consumer associations, however, criticize that the health aspect was not included. For over-sugared products such as cornflakes may also use the logo. (Sb)