New logo selected for all EU organic products
09 February 2010
The European Commission today officially announced the winner of the EU organic logo competition.
Over the past two months, some 130,000 people have voted online to choose the new organic symbol from three finalists.
The winning design is by Dusan Milenkovic, a student from Germany, who gained 63% of the overall vote for his “Euro-leaf” logo. From 1st July 2010, the organic logo of the EU will be obligatory on all pre-packaged organic products that have been produced in any of the EU Member States and meet the necessary standards. It will be optional for imported products. Other private, regional or national logos will be allowed to appear alongside the EU label. The organic farming regulation will be amended in the coming weeks to introduce the new logo into one of the annexes.
The winning logo was the result of a pan-European contest open to art and design students. The nearly 3,500 logo designs submitted were examined by an internationally renowned jury. The best three logos were uploaded on the competition website www.ec.europa.eu/organic-logo and subject to an online vote which ended on 31 January 2010.
The ”Euro-leaf” design shows the EU stars in the shape of a leaf against a green background:
We believe the Soil Association organic logo is already understood, respected and well-recognised by consumers in the UK. It will continue to be used on organic products which are certified to our independent standards - standards that in many areas exceed those set by the European Union.
We don't think that in the UK the European logo will add to consumer understanding here in the UK, but recognise that the new logo will be introduced across the EU from July 2010. For more information on the work we have done on the EU logo, visit our standards consultations.