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A guide to organic food accreditation

The word "organic" is one that is strictly defined by law, and may only be used by producers and manufacturers who are registered with a recognised organic accreditation organisation. In order to become registered, members must:

• follow a strict set of guidelines laid down by national and international law

• keep thorough and accurate records of production processes

• submit to annual and random inspections.

Organic certification mainly applies to food products at present. There are several organic certification bodies within the UK, all of which conform to the standards laid down by the EU

• UK1 - DEFRA

• UK2 - Organic Farmers and Growers (OF&G)

• UK3 - Scottish Organic Producers' Association (SOPA)

• UK4 - Organic Food Federation (OFF)

• UK5 - Soil Association Certification Ltd (SA Cert)

• UK6 - Demeter / Bio-Dynamic Agriculture Association (BDAA)

• UK7 - Irish Organic Farmers' & Growers' Association (IOFGA)

• UK 8 - (see note below) - Food Certification (Scotland) Ltd

• UK9 - Organic Trust Ltd

• UK10 - CMi Certification

The standards set by DEFRA conform to the minimum standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM).

The DEFRA UK Compendium of organic standards - set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) - offers a baseline for all UK organic production and each certification body owns its own standards which are based on the Compendium.

Both Soil Association and SOPA standards in particular are higher than this baseline, though other certification bodies also have higher standards. Further information can be obtained direct from these organisations.

Note: Food Certification (Scotland) Ltd provides organic certification for farmed salmon in the UK. While UK regulations permit local certification, EC regulations do not yet address organic fish farming.