Frequently Asked Questions
01. Why is organic certification necessary?
02. Why the Organic Food Federation?
03. Who actually needs to have
organic certification?
Producers, processors, traders or importers?
04. Is UK organic certification valid in the EU?
05. How do I apply for organic certification?
06. Can you carry out product searches for me?
07. What is the Federation’s position on GMOs?
08. Where can I get a copy of the Federation’s logo to
use on my products?
09. Is the Federation’s certification acceptable to
retailers?
10. How do I apply for Organic Entry Level Scheme
grants?
11. How much will certification cost?
01. Why is organic certification necessary?
It is a mandatory requirement that all products
labelled organic must be certified by an approved certification body.
Organic produce can be traced from the farm to the fork with every process
along the way obtaining a certificate of conformity. If the product is
altered in any way the operation must be registered and certified. This
enables full traceability.
In effect the organic label can be regarded as a brand. Consumers
can rely on the fact that products comply with organic standards and have
been produced or processed by approved operators. Certification provides
assurance that this is the case.
If you have any queries please
contact a member of our
team.
02. Why the
Organic Food Federation?
The Federation:
Prides itself on providing a personal service with the help of our
knowledgeable and friendly staff.
Is accredited by UKAS to EN45011.
Can help you source organic products.
For clients that require BRC audits we are pleased that we can offer this at
the same time as organic inspections so saving your time and money.
Our standards and explanatory notes can be downloaded without cost from
this website.
We exhibit or attend major organic trade shows.
Our inspectors are all fully qualified and licensed by Defra to carry out
organic audits.
If you have any queries please contact a member of our team.
03. Who actually needs to have Organic Certification?
Producers, processors, traders or importers?
Everyone who produces or alters an organic product in any way must obtain an
organic certificate of conformity from an approved certification body such
as the Organic Food Federation. This must be obtained for any product /
process which claims to be organic.
Processors must submit recipes showing all components of the product and
these must be sent to the Federation accompanied by all relevant
certificates covering the ingredients.
Traders must be certified if the nature of a product is altered in any way.
Producers must certify land, crops and livestock.
Importers must certify all products which are imported from outside the EU
and any EU products which are re-packed, re-labelled or processed.
If you have any queries please contact a member of our team.
04. Is UK organic
certification valid in the EU?
Yes.
Certification with an approved UK certifier enables organic trade throughout
the EU. Similarly any products which are certified by an authorised EU
certification body can be sold or used in organic recipes in the UK.
If you have any queries please contact a member of our team.
05. How do I apply
for Organic Certification?
The process is simple.
Application forms can be obtained from this site or telephone for a free
information pack.
We recognise that our operators are unique so we offer individual quotations
and do not charge on turnover.
Once a signed quotation is received one of our qualified inspectors will
arrange an audit.
If you have any queries please contact a member of our team.
06. Can you carry out product searches for me?
Yes.
We can put you in touch with suppliers of specific organic material.
Just contact a member of staff and we will be happy to help with your search
requirements.
The organic regulation does not permit the inclusion or use of any genetically modified material in any organic product.
If you have any queries please contact a member of our team.
08. Where can I get a copy of the Federation’s logo to use on my products?
Our logo can be obtained by emailing
info@orgfoodfed.com
once you have received our Certificate of Conformity.
When a product is certified by the Federation all labels must contain the
wording Organic Certification UK4. It must be noted that advertising
copy and all labelling must be submitted for approval prior to printing.
In addition to the wording we are happy for you to use our logo which
contains the required statement.
If you have any queries please contact a member of our team.
09. Is the Federation logo acceptable to retailers?
Yes.
It shows that your product complies with organic regulations and if you look
on the supermarket shelves there are many Organic Food Federation products
available.
If you have any queries please contact a member of our team.
10. How do I apply for Organic Entry Level scheme grants?
All the most up to date information relating to the organic entry level
scheme can be found on the
Defra website
This site is very useful for
anyone considering conversion to organic production and is split into:
What is it for?
What sort of projects are covered?
(click the title to visit site)
11. How much will certification cost?
Our operators are unique so we offer an individual quotation system.
We do not charge on turnover or for our application packs, standards or use
of our logo.
If you are happy with the quotation it should be signed and returned to the
Federation office.
Once it is received a qualified inspector will be allocated to your
operation and will contact you to arrange an audit.
Please contact a member of our team if you have any questions relating to
cost