BIO

The certification mark "BIO zebra" is a national trademark for organic food. This national logo is used to label organic products and the certificate is issued by independent inspection organisations. Certification is only granted if the product complies with all the provisions of the Organic Farming Act.

Each country with a developed organic farming sector has its own national certificate which guarantees that the product meets all the standards of the Organic Farming Act. In the Czech Republic, organic products are marked with the so-called "BIO zebra" and the code of the inspection organisation. Any producer who produces products that originate from organic farming and wants them to carry the organic label must sign a contract with one of the control organisations and submit to their rules, regulations and regular and irregular inspections. Currently, three independent organisations are responsible for inspections, namely KEZ, o.p.s., ABcert AG and BIOKONT CZ. The certificate is granted for one year and can be withdrawn at any time in case of non-compliance. During inspections, the focus is mainly on the environment in which the livestock live, what they are fed and whether they are neglected in any way. For crops, the place and method of storage and the presence of unauthorised substances or toxic pesticides are checked. An important part of certification is also the checking of administration and accounting. Each organic product must be labelled with the word 'organic', the code of the organisation that has verified the origin of the product, a graphic logo with the name 'BIO zebra' and, from 1 July 2010, the EU logo - 'BIO list'. http://www.kez.cz/