What you can say when marketing organic 2020 - Flipbook - Page 9
Organic Standards
The Soil Association developed the world’s first organic standards in the 1960s. Standards are the rules
that define how an organic product must be grown, farmed or made. The principles upon which the Soil
Association’s organic standards are based are set out below. Organic takes a “whole system” approach
to farming and food production – it recognises the close interrelationships between all parts of the
production system, from the soil to the food on our fork. This comprehensive set of organic principles
guides the Soil Association’s work and standards.
PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTION
1. To produce food of high quality and in sufficient
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To limit the use of chemically synthesised
inputs to situations where appropriate
alternative management practices do not exist,
or natural or organic inputs are not available,
or where alternative inputs would contribute to
unacceptable environmental impacts
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To exclude the use of soluble mineral fertilisers
quantity by the use of processes that do not
harm the environment, human health, plant
health or animal health and welfare
2. To work within natural systems and cycles at all
levels, from the soil to plants and animals
3. To maintain the long-term fertility and
biological activity of soils
4. To treat livestock ethically, meeting their speciesspecific physiological and behavioural needs
5. To respect regional, environmental, climatic
and geographic differences and the appropriate
practices that have evolved in response to them
6. To maximise the use of renewable resources
and recycling
7. To design and manage organic systems which
make the best use of natural resources and
ecology to prevent the need for external inputs.
Where this fails or where external inputs are
required, the use of external inputs is limited to
organic, natural or naturally-derived substances
10. To foster biodiversity and protect sensitive
habitats and landscape features
11. To minimise pollution and waste
12. To use preventative and precautionary measures
and risk assessment when appropriate
13. To exclude the use of GMOs and products
produced from or by GMOs, with the exception
of veterinary medicinal products
14. To sustainably use products from fisheries
Why organic?
Food you can trust
In the face of climate change, diet-related ill health
and widespread decline in wildlife, the need to
change our food system has never been greater. The
“whole system” approach used in organic attempts to
address issues in a joined-up way. Organic therefore
provides solutions to many problems, offering truly
sustainable food for a growing population, in a way
that works with nature.
The standards for organic food are laid down in law
(and, in places, these are supplemented by the Soil
Association’s well-evidenced higher standards),
so certification is required to grow, process or
market organic products, plus all organic farms and
companies are inspected at least once a year.
Soil Association Certification certifies over 70% of
organic food in the UK and the organic label is the
best way of assuring that the food you eat has been
produced to a standard you can trust.
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