Organic products acc. to the EU-Regulation on Organic Agriculture (Öko-VO)

Organic food refers to food produced cultivated using organic farming methods. The term is defined by law in the EU. These products must come from organically certified farming, must not be genetically modified and must be grown without the use of synthetic chemical crop protection products, artificial fertilisers or sewage sludge. Animal products come from animals that are kept in a species-appropriate manner in accordance with the EU-Eco-Regulation and are generally not treated with antibiotics or growth hormones. The products are not irradiated with ionising radiation and contain fewer food additives than conventional food, but are allowed to contain up to 5% of non-organically produced ingredients. No clear evidence of health benefits of organic food has been identified in any of the numerous studies.
 

Organic seal

The EU-Eco-Regulation of 2007 defines how agricultural products and foodstuffs labelled as organic must be produced and labelled. To distinguish between conventionally and organically produced food, in 2001 Germany introduced the state-controlled organic seal, which can only be used to label products produced in accordance with the EU-Eco-Regulation. While organic food is synonymous with food from certified organic farming, natural food can also be conventionally produced.

Organic food is available in organic food shops, health food shops and also increasingly in general grocery shops and supermarkets. There are a number of organic farming associations in Germany, some of which have much stricter guidelines than those prescribed by the EU-Eco-Regulation.