
by Sarah Hills FoodBizDaily.com London
February 08 2010 - The European Commission has revealed the new organic logo that will be used on all pre-packaged organic products that are produced in an EU member state that meet necessary standards.
The “Euro-leaf” logo, which was picked following a European-wide competition, will be obligatory from July 1 this year for the member state products and optional for imported products.
Other private, regional or national logos will be allowed to appear alongside the EU label.
The design shows the EU stars in the shape of a leaf against a green background, portraying two messages: Nature and Europe.
Mariann Fischer Boel, commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “This exercise has raised the profile of organic food and we now have a logo which everyone will be able to identify with.”
The contest was open to art and design students and nearly 3,500 logo designs were submitted.
The winning design is by Dusan Milenkovic, a student from Germany, who gained 63% of the overall vote after some 130,000 people voted online for one of three finalists.
The organic farming regulation will be amended to introduce the new logo into one of the annexes.