Clarification on certification of organic salt

The GB organic regulation does not permit certification of salt as organic, either as a product or an ingredient.

This is because under regulation 834/2007 salt is not considered an agricultural ingredient and is not covered under the scope of the organic regulation.  This means a product packed, labelled or processed in GB cannot refer to ‘organic’. This applies to both  product labelling and advertising.

Certification of salt in the European Union

Under EC organic regulation 2018/848 salt is included within the scope of the regulation. This means it is possible for salt to be certified as organic within the EU, or Northern Ireland. However, there are no detailed rules for the production of organic salt within the EU regulation. The EU parliament objected to the EC’s proposal on detailed rules in July 2023, meaning it is unlikely detailed rules will be developed. In the absence of detailed EU wide rules salt can be certified in a member state either to private standards, or a member state may develop their own national rules.

Could salt certified as organic in the EU be sold in GB?

Defra has confirmed that salt certified as organic in the EU and prepacked in the EU, or NI, could be imported into GB and placed on the market as an organic product. This is because the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement permits import of product produced in the EU certified to EC regulation 2018/848.

However, the salt could not be imported into GB and then packed or re-labelled in GB with any reference to ‘organic’. If used as an ingredient in a product the salt could not be identified as ‘organic’ on the labelling.

Can operators in Northern Ireland market salt as organic?

There are no national rules or private standards for salt production in NI. This means salt production cannot be certified organic in NI.  However, salt certified organic in another EU member state can be labelled as organic in NI, or used as an ingredient in a processed product in NI and identified as organic on the product labelling.   

Does Soil Association have any plans to develop certification of organic salt?

No, Soil Association does not intend to develop standards for organic salt.