The European Commission (EC) has announced the launch of a promotional campaign to highlight the benefits of eating organic produce, using the slogan 'Organic farming: Good for nature, good for you'.
The move is designed to encourage the consumption of organic produce among young people in the European Union, ensuring the stability of the market in the future.
Industry professionals are being encouraged to use the promotional slogan as part of marketing campaigns, as well as phrases such as 'Organic farming: the natural choice', 'Organic farming: in goodness we trust' and 'Organic products meet consumer demand for authentic, high quality and tasty food'.
'Consumer demand for organic products is growing, offering business opportunities for all sectors of the food supply chain,' said Mariann Fischer Boel, EC commissioner for agricultural and rural developments, in a statement. 'In launching this campaign, I call on all stakeholders involved in organic farming to promote the organic idea.'
However, questions have arisen as to whether the EC is favouring organic farming over conventional farming with the campaign – something denied by Michael Mann, agricultural spokesman for the EC, who told FoodNavigator.com: 'We are not favouring organic as an alternative to conventional. Merely we are providing the marketing tools to aid progression the organic industry while helping consumers make their own choices on which products to buy,' he said.
As of 2005, there were approximately 182,305 organic food operators in the eU, covering farmers, producers, processors and importers, which represented a 13.4 per cent increase on 2004.
