Control experiences: Focus on the essentials

Midsummer is the time to preserve the harvest from your own farm. Ripe fruits, berries, and vegetables need to be preserved. The Organic regulations outline the principles that must be observed in the production and labelling of these culinary works of art before they are sold.

If the sugar used in the jam is imported, the Bud label can only be used without the Swiss flag.
The inspectors confirm that farms are busy with this work. Products are dried, cooked, and deep-frozen to expand the range on offer. We have found that getting started with on-farm processing is not always easy and can occasionally lead to shortcomings. To prevent this, it is helpful to share some of our inspection experiences. Certification experience shows that even minor violations often lead to problems in jam production. The following example of a Knospe raspberry jam therefore seems to provide a suitable illustration.

Traceability through recipes, journals, and documentation
Both the recipe template and the processing journal are mandatory. These documents are essential for tracking the movement of ingredients during inspections, particularly in the case of additional purchases, such as sugar. Receipts for all purchased ingredients must be clearly attached to both documents.

Agricultural ingredients must carry the Bud label
To turn your own raspberries into a long-life spread, you will likely need to purchase additional raw materials. As a general rule, all agricultural ingredients used in Bio Suisse products must have Swiss Bud status. Using Bud-certified sugar will probably prevent the jam from being labelled as a domestic product. Sugar is usually imported. If the proportion of imported raw materials exceeds ten per cent of the ingredients, the product must be sold without mentioning "Suisse" and without the Swiss flag on the Bud label. An exception applies to acerola cherry, which may be used in organic or EU organic quality as a natural source of vitamin C. Pectin may be used in non-organic quality.

Non-agricultural ingredients may be conventional
Non-agricultural ingredients permitted in raspberry jam may be used without organic status. For certain products, the absence of genetic engineering must be confirmed using the InfoXGen form. The Bio Suisse guidelines (Part 3) provide an exhaustive list of permitted non-organic additives for jam and for a wide range of other products that are not of agricultural origin. These include:

• N2/CO/O2
• Water 
• Citric acid
• Tartaric acid
• Calcium citrate
• Agar
  

Packaging material must be right
To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is advisable to check that the lids are suitable for use with Knospe jam before purchasing large quantities of jars. Some sealing materials, such as PVC, are not compliant with regulations.

What's on the label must match what's inside
Once processing is complete and the product has been filled into jars, it must be labelled correctly. If the imported sugar used, which is to be assumed, the Bio Suisse label with the Swiss flag may not be used. A simplified version of the label, with the Bud logo but without "Suisse" or the Swiss flag, must be used.

Agricultural ingredients listed on the label can be simplified with an asterisk: "*All agricultural ingredients (except pectin) from organic production". A reference to the Bud label in the ingredients list is optional but is very welcome. The word "Import" should be placed after the sugar. For the sake of completeness, non-agricultural products must also be listed.

Mention the certification body
Finally, the certification body must be mentioned. This is also the most common irregularity found during our inspections. The correct and required wording is: (Organic) certification: CH-BIO-006 (example: bio.inspecta AG).

Initiative brings variety to the market
In conclusion, it is certainly worthwhile offering your own processed products for sale. The basic prerequisite is that the processor enjoys this work. In any case, it is regrettable when a business decides not to process its harvest because the regulatory hurdles seem too demanding.

The requirements are manageable and seem marginal once you get into a routine. If something is overlooked, it is not the end of the world. Minor deficiencies in farm processing do not trigger direct payment cuts. However, mislabeling a non-organic product (e.g. raspberry jam with conventional sugar) as organic must be avoided at all costs. In such cases, the cantonal chemist may take an interest in the raspberry jam.

Further information
bio.inspecta hotline (Mon to Fri 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1 p.m.-5 p.m.) for any questions about the regulations
Processing journal in German (bio.inspecta)
Recipe template in German (bio.inspecta)
Declaration of compliance with the “prohibition of genetically modified organisms” (Infoxgen)
On-farm processing in German (Processing section)
Series on inspection experiences in German (Basics section? (Rubrik Grundlagen)
Another important inspection topic: animal husbandry in midsummer