Why We Should Be Jealous of the EU's Organic Labels

The European Union gets a big star—well, 12 big stars actually. Beginning this week, the EU's "Euro-Leaf" organic food labels go into effect. The label, which is now mandatory on all pre-packaged, organic foods, features a green label with a leaf made up of 12 stars. The EU Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development hopes the obligatory logo will boost organic farming and draw consumers to organic products.

The mandatory labeling system applies to all pre-packaged, organic foods produced in any of the EU's 27 Member States. In addition to featuring the "Euro-Leaf," labels must list the farms where products' ingredients were produced as well as the code number of the regulatory body that certified the item as organic. Operators have a two-year transition period to comply with the new labeling laws.

As a regular consumer of organic goods, the EU's super green labels make me pea-green with envy. In the U.S., it's easy to seek out products with an organic label. But what isn't so transparent is where ingredients in organic items came from. Take Trader Joe's, which I've blogged about before. The grocery store offers a bevvy of organic goods under its Trader Joe's brand, everything from frozen pizza to milk to eggs. But despite flack from shoppers, the chain adamantly refuses to disclose where it sources its organic goods from. And legally, the store doesn't have to divulge anything.

And here lies my problem with organic labeling in the U.S. Eating organic means eliminating chemical pesticides and herbicides and purchasing products that were produced in an ecologically friendly manner. But another fundamental principle that oftentimes gets overlooked is this idea of connecting consumers with where their food comes from. Organic labels should provide complete transparency in ingredients' origins, down to the very farm where milk, eggs, veggies, etc. were sourced. After all, you can tell me my milk is organic, but if I'm completely in the dark about what dairy operation it came from, how is there any accountability? New "Euro-Leaf" labels provide that accountability.

I'm impressed by the EU's efforts here, and it would be great if the U.S. adopted similar measures. But in one regard, "Euro-Leaf" labels really don't go far enough. While the labels are mandatory for all goods produced in EU Member States, they remain optional for imported products. Complete transparency would require listing information on where all organic goods come from. For example, a while back, ABC News called out Whole Foods for selling "California Blend" frozen veggies under its 365 Organic label that actually came from farms in China. If an organic label right on the front of the item displayed the fact that those "California" veggies actually came from China, I doubt ecologically minded consumers would put them in their shopping carts. The veggies may be certified organic, but the amount of carbon emissions created by shipping frozen veggies from China to the U.S. is nauseating. Plus, the USDA recently fired its organic certifier in China after information revealed that the organization hired individuals from Chinese government agencies to inspect farms and processing plants that are controlled by the state. Kind of a conflict of interest, don't you think? This is the type of information shoppers should be entitled to receive right on the front of organic products.

U.S. consumers go out of their way to seek out organic products and shell out the extra dough to buy them. Like EU shoppers, we should be entitled to mandatory labels listing where this food comes from.

Photo credit: Samuell via Wikimedia Commons