How to Tell if Food Is Organic: EU Logo and Turkish Labels

Hello dear friends. The surest way to tell if food is organic is the label: an official organic logo, the name and code of the control body, and a certificate number. Words like “natural”, “village product” or “hormone-free” do not show that a product is organic.

We grow food at Şifa Köyü, our organic farm in Şile on the Black Sea coast of Istanbul, so I read labels with a farmer’s eye. If you live in Turkey or buy Turkish products, you will meet two logos: the Turkish one and the EU one. Do you usually turn the pack over and read the back?

What does the EU organic logo mean?

The EU organic logo is the leaf made of white stars on a green background. According to the European Commission, it shows that an authorised control body has certified the product as organic. Processed products must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. For imported products that follow the EU import rules, using the logo is optional.

Next to the logo you will find the code number of the control body and where the raw materials were farmed, for example “EU Agriculture” or “non-EU Agriculture”. The code tells you who checked the product. ORSER, a Turkish control body, uses the code TR-BIO-166.

The Turkish organic logo and label

In Turkey, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry says an organic label should carry these details:

• the official Turkish organic logo
• the name, code and logo of the authorised control and certification body
• the product certificate number
• the place of production, the harvest year, and the production and expiry dates

The Ministry also warns that phrases like “100% natural”, “hormone-free”, “authentic”, “village product” or “pure” do not mean organic certification. They may sound lovely. Yet they do not prove any inspection.

Loose produce at markets

Vegetables sold loose may have no label at all. The Ministry’s Istanbul directorate says organic market stalls should show the organic logo and the control body’s logo on loose products too. You can ask the seller to show the operator and product certificates. Asking is your right.

How to check a certificate

• Check that the control body is on the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry list of authorised bodies (Yetkili Kuruluşlar, KSK).
• If the control body’s website has a certificate search, you can enter the number there. ORSER’s website has one.
• Ask the seller which products the certificate covers and until when it is valid.
• If something seems wrong, you can report it in Turkey to the provincial agriculture directorate or the Alo 174 food line, with the label and certificate details.

And at Şifa Köyü?

Şifa Köyü holds an EU-approved organic farming certificate. The shop shows the Turkish organic logo, the EU organic logo and ORSER as the control and certification body. The certificate codes are on the shop’s “Biz kimiz” (about us) page. The certificate concerns farming, so we never call candles, crystals, books or sessions organic. If you want to know whether a specific product is covered, look at its product page or ask us.

Reading labels feels slow at first, then your eyes get used to it. You could try it on your next shopping trip. Tell me what you noticed, I would love to hear. 🌱

Şifa Köyü: about us and certificate details (in Turkish) →

Şifa Köyü organic products (in Turkish) →

Ordering from Şifa Köyü →

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