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CAFIA’s Approach and Its Powers in the Field of Organic Food

12/09/2007
 

Organic foods

Organic foods are a specific group of foodstuffs. To be labelled as “organic food”, the foodstuff must be produced under the conditions laid down in the Act on Organic Farming and COUNCIL REGULATON (EEC) No. 2092/91 on organic production of agricultural products. If a producer meets the prescribed requirements, organic food certificate is issued for the organic food.

Organic food must, of course, comply with other requirements as any other “conventional” foodstuff, especially with the requirements laid down in the Act on Foodstuffs, requirements of its implementing Decrees, relevant EC Regulations, or other Acts and their implementing regulations. That means requirements for safety, quality, labelling, etc.

CAFIA Powers to Perform Inspections

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority performs inspections of organic food in the same way as inspection of other foodstuffs (which the CAFIA is authorized to inspect), therefore particularly within the meaning of the Act on Foodstuffs. This means that organic food is checked for safety (compliance with microbiological requirements, requirements for the content of contaminants), sensory, physical and chemical requirements for quality, complete and correct labelling, use by dates and best before dates, misleading labelling or misleading way of selling, etc.

However, the CAFIA does not have the power to check organic food with respect to its labelling with the words “bio” or “organic”, etc., whether it complies with the requirements of the Act on Organic Farming, and whether it is legitimately labelled as “bio” or “organic”.

Inspection of organic food and other professional steps within the meaning of the Act on Organic Farming

Every person carrying on business in organic farming must have a valid agreement with any of the control organizations authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture to perform inspections and issue certificates in organic farming. As from 1 January 2007, the following control organizations are authorized by the MA to perform inspections and certification:

Kontrola ekologického zemědělství (KEZ) o.p.s.
Poděbradova 909
537 01  Chrudim
Tel.:  469 622  249
Fax:  469  625 027
e-mail: kezkez.cz
www.kez.cz

ABCERT GmbH
Zemědělská 5
613 00 Brno
Tel.: 545 215 899
Fax: 545 217 876
e-mail: infoabcert.cz
www.abcert.cz

Biokont CZ, s r.o.
Měříčkova 34
621 00  Brno
Tel.: 547 225 565, 606 605 728, 731 471 708
Fax: 547 225 565
e-mail: slavikbiokont.cz, rozsypalbiokont.cz
www.biokont.cz


Author: Ing. Jiří Koudelka