Can organic products be sold as organic everywhere?
- The EU countries have common regulations for organic products. Within the internal market the EU countries, Norway and Iceland can sell and market organic products as organic.
- The marketing of Finnish organic products as organic outside the EU requires that the country of destination has approved that the EU legislation on organic products equals their own or that they have approved the product separately. The export product has to adhere to the legislation in the country of destination.
If the country of destination is outside the EU, check that you can market your products as organic
The EU has bilateral agreements on organic produce with South Korea, Israel, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Tunisia, New Zealand and the United States. Most of the organic products produced in Finland can be sold to these countries as EU organic products. Some of the organic agreements cover all organic products and in others some product groups are excluded. Always make sure with the competent authority of the country of destination that your own organic products can be approved.
As an exporter to any other country you have to find out what the requirements on organic products are from the competent authority in the country of destination, and apply for any necessary approvals for your product, if this is possible. Note, that applying for approval for organic products can cause expenses for your business.
The Food Authority gives you the necessary certificates for organic products
On the internal market it is sufficient for the operator approved for the controls to have documentary evidence which proves that they are covered by the controls of organic products. The documentary evidence required is consistent across the EU area.
Some of the countries outside the EU and sometimes also the buyer in another EU country can require a separate export licence for your organic product. The Food Authority grants organic export licences per operator or per transaction. The licences are subject to a fee. Here is more information on ordering organic licences.