The Soil Association organic symbol is the UK's largest and most recognisable trademark for organic produce.
Wherever you see it you can be sure that the food you have purchased has been produced and processed to strict animal welfare and environmental standards. The Soil Association has probably the highest and most comprehensive standards for organic production and processing in the world.
Our standards not only meet the UK government's minimum requirements but in many areas are higher. This is particularly true with animal welfare (for example, pigs and poultry) and the use of pesticides.
We can do this because we are an independent charity and are not motivated by profit - our goal is to promote the highest levels of organic integrity.
We have also developed standards for areas not covered by government or EU regulations. These include conservation, fish farming, textiles and health and beauty products.
What do they cover?
Practically anything that's grown or farmed to be eaten or drunk. Our standards also cover the processing of food, from milling flour to baking bread and making pizzas.
They specify in detail what can and can't be done, and what can and can't be used. For example, a chicken farmer will know how many birds can be kept together, what they can be fed, how they can be treated if ill and so on.
But our standards apply to more than food. We also have standards for:
- Shops and other retailers
- Restaurants, bars and cafés
- Health and beauty products
- Clothing and textiles
- Gardening products like composts
- Timber and wood products
- Ethical Trade
What makes them special?
We believe it is vital that organic standards are kept high and enforced effectively. We aim to set the 'gold standard' for the organic industry and have led the way in developing high organic standards.
We want to ensure that Soil Association standards meet consumer expectations, reflect the best sustainable practice and become a benchmark for organic production globally.
Certification and inspection, carried out by our wholly owned subsidiary Soil Association Certification Ltd, ensures that these standards are adhered to.
Our organic symbol is used to show that these standards have been met.
How our standards are set
We constantly review our standards to keep them up to date and to deal with new issues. To do this we have set up a standards board and a number of independent standards committees that report to it. The board and committees are made up of our members and licensees, researchers, advisors, other experts in their field, together with independent people and consumer representatives.
The committees consider proposals and amendments to the standards and advise us on other relevant policy issues. Their recommendations are circulated to all members and licensees for consultation. The board makes a final recommendation, which is then agreed by our elected council. This rigorous and open process ensures our standards remain high, yet attainable.
The Soil Association also works actively at national, European and international levels with the aim of achieving consistently high organic standards across all bodies and authorities. For example we were a founder member of, and continue to play a leading role within, the
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
Find out more about the
standards committees.
Improving further how we set our standards
Our standards are at the forefront of the burgeoning organic market. They have helped give consumers trust in organic foods and farmers use them as a benchmark of best organic practice. But their reach is even further than that – they define sustainable production and they are also influencing conventional farming and food processing.
For all these reasons, we recognise they have a public service remit. Therefore we want to make sure that our standards setting reflects this wider responsibility and can stand up to the most rigorous scrutiny.
In July 2006, we took the significant step of appointing an independent chair of our standards board – Anna Bradley, who was chief executive of the National Consumer Council and then consumer director of the Financial Services Authority. Under her guidance we have been conducting a review of the governance and accountability in our standards setting.
We have now drawn up a range of proposals and are consulting on these. Please go to our
standards consultation pages for all the information about these proposals, including how you can give your comments.
Find out more