Who Came First? The Egg or the Carton? An Analysis of Organic Packaging for Italian Retail Chain Esselunga - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 112

one shall consent also, based on specific conditions, to insert in the list of ingredients
references to the organic production (European Commission 2007 189/2-189/3; author
trans.; 2008 ). 5

Organic products must display the organic logo, which certifies that the item has
been subject to organic procedures and has been inspected by organic certified
agents. Visual information of the logo for each country and detailed information
on organic production and labeling of organic products with regard to organic
production can be found in the European Council Regulation reports, EC 834/2007
and EC 889/2008. For example, the first two pages of the EC 889/2008 provides
an overview of the emergence of an organic market and the need to protect this
new economic asset, assuring fair competition to the seller, buyer and consumer.
Labeling of organic products is seen as beneficiary for all parties including the
environment. Emphasis is given on environmental issues (contamination); rather
than solely on the economy or individual. Following this introduction, the docu-
ment lists the products to which the regulation applies. These products include:
unprocessed crops, livestock and unprocessed livestock, feed, processed crop and
livestock products. The rest of the document defines products that do not fall within
the organic law, including GMO products and derives. For example, a chicken that
was fed GMO corn should not be considered organic.
Labeling specifications for organic products including origins of provenance
from the feeding, to process and distribution are also included in the manuscript.
Organic products must contain at least 95 % or organic ingredients or derive from
ingredients that are 95 % organic. The product should not contained or been exposed
to chemicals or ionizing radiation. The Act also includes a section on seeding
including seeding procedures and information about supplier of seed. Inspection
details, imports from other countries, clarification on utilizing renewable natural
resources as a way to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture are also items
addressed in the document. The last section describes and defines free range and
housing for livestock including mammals, poultry, and apiaries, as well as disease
prevention for animals and plants. The law also specifies general conditions for all
products including information about soil, fertilizer, animal excrements, compost,
and feed. The document ends with visual documentation of organic logo for
European countries that each product will display.
In terms of information required to appear on packaging of organic produces
the EU indicates the following: Organic logo, “the name or code number of the
certification body that has certified the organic producer” as well as the first two
digits of the country of origin: “The indication of the place where the agricultural
raw materials of which the products is composed have been farmed, as referred
to in Article 24(1)(c) of Regulation (EC) 834/2007” (European Commission 2007 ,

5 “Per dare chiarezza ai consumatori in tutto il mercato comunitario, occorre rendere obbligatorio
il logo UE per tutti i prodotti alimentari biologici in imballaggio preconfezionato ottenuti nella
Comunità Inoltre, ai fini dell'informazione dei consumatori, della trasparenza del mercato e per

stimolare l'uso di ingredienti biologici, si dovrebbe anche consentire, a determinate condizioni, di

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