The implementation of a new EU label to denote organic products has been delayed for a year as regulators try and come up with a less controversial design.
"To allow sufficient time for a suitable logo to be selected, the European Commission (EC) will ask the Council to delay by one year (to 2010) the date on which the EU logo becomes compulsory," said an EC Agriculture spokesman.
The move follows a challenge from German discounter Aldi, which complained that the proposed 'bio' logo was too similar to its own logo for organic food, he said. "The Commission has decided to launch a promotion programme this summer. As part of this programme, we will launch a competition, open to all EU citizens, to design a new logo. This will replace the draft logo which has recently been circulated."This decision comes as a welcome relief to UK manufacturers and trade associations, who have consistently opposed the bio logo on the ground that it would confuse UK shoppers.
While continental European consumers recognise ‘bio’ as meaning ‘organic’, UK consumers do not, said PTF director Clare Cheney. “It’s ridiculous. The whole point of this logo is to make it easier for consumers to recognise organic products, and they choose a word that doesn’t mean anything to UK consumers. To us, bio means probiotic yoghurt, or some kind of health claim, or maybe even short for biotechnology. But it certainly doesn’t mean organic.”
The Food and Drink Federation welcomed the news: "We felt that the originally proposed logo containing the word ‘bio’ was not appropriate to the UK market and would therefore welcome any opportunity for consideration of an alternative logo more recognisable to UK consumers as meaning organic."
The Soil Association, which had also criticised the original logo as “at best unnecessary and at worst meaningless”, said it was delighted that the Commission had seen sense.
Campaigns director Robin Maynard said: "Far from providing ‘assurances’, the bio logo would only have confused people, gone against the trend for more local, regionally distinctive produce, and led to the dilution of organic standards.
“Harmonising markets to the lowest common denominator and maximising global competitiveness may be top priorities for global agribiz. But they run completely counter to the principles of the organic movement and are out of tune with the burgeoning interest among consumers for local, regionally distinctive foods and closer connection with producers.
“People want to buy locally sourced organic sausages supporting Norfolk, Cumberland, or Schleswig-Holstein producers not some anonymous ‘Euro-organic sausage’.”