The Launch Of The EU Organic Awards

The launch of the EU Organic Awards was announced by the European Commission on February 18, 2022. An award to recognize the food production process might seem strange but considering the rising contribution of organic food in the EU, the awards give it the perfect boost. It aims to reward the best and most innovative actors in EU organic production and recognize its excellence in the organic value chain.

Background: 

The European Commission has played a significant role in developing critical policies towards driving the growth of organic production and consumption in Europe. Key among which are the widely hailed European Green Deal, Farm To Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. In March 2021, the commission released the Action Plan for the development of organic production. The Action Plan aims to boost organic produce with the considerable target of covering 25% of agricultural land under organic farming by 2030 and increasing organic aquaculture significantly. It set forth 23 actions structured around the three verticals of boosting consumption, increasing production and further improving the sector’s sustainability. The Organic Awards, jointly organized by the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe are the next step in its multistage efforts.

Categories:

Eight awards within seven categories are up for grabs, including:

Best Organic Farmer (Female and Male)

Best Organic Region

Best Organic City

Best Organic Bio-district

Best Organic SME

Best Organic Food Retailer

Best Organic Restaurant

IFOAM Organics Europe’s director, Eduardo Cuoco, stated, “We must not forget the importance of the involvement of national, regional and even local actors to make the EU Organic Action Plan as successful as possible in reaching the 25% organic target and transitioning towards more sustainable food systems.”

Why to apply?

The awards bring in a great deal of public visibility for the organic project. It increases public awareness regarding the innovation and sustainability of your purpose. The combined effort paves the way for the more significant cause of contributing to the greater affordability and accessibility of organic products in the EU.

Who can apply?

While organic production is on the rise globally, the awards recognize the contribution of the EU nationals only.  Each award category has unique requirements for eligibility. They are also followed by general application rules that call for the applicant to be a legal resident of the EU and apply for one award only. The application should be filled out before the given deadline and in one of the official EU languages. 

The jury also allows for projects which are incomplete but are demonstrable enough to compete for the awards. 

Criteria and timeline:

The representatives of some of the leading European committees and the European Parliament will assess the applications based on:

1. Excellence
2. The innovative character of the project in the selected award category
3. Sustainability pillars (ESG) of the project
4. Transferability and ability to replicate the project elsewhere in the EU. 

The online applications will be available from March 25, 2022 to June 8, 2022 while the winners will be declared on the EU Organic Day, i.e. September 23, 2022. 

The EU Organic Day is the ideal opportunity to take stock of the organic action plan. As a premium supplier of organic food to Europe, we have witnessed the rising contribution of organics to the market. The call for innovation is consistent and we recognize the efforts of the EU citizens in driving the growth for organic and sustainable production. As an ardent supporter of the organic community, Biohabit is looking forward to the announcements and may the best minds win. 

Biohabit Food

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