Luis Planas stresses the importance of promotion to raise awareness of organic food among consumers

On this occasion, he focused on promotion, a tool he considered essential to raise awareness of organic food among consumers, who can identify it at points of sale by its so-called Green Leaf logo.

The meeting, which took place at the ministerial headquarters, was attended by 19 delegations from different member states. In this edition under the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU, the participants discussed and exchanged information on the different experiences, actions and good practices in promoting the benefits of organic food consumption at European, national and sectoral levels.

In his speech, Luis Planas expressed his "firm commitment to promoting and strengthening the organic production sector in Spain and Europe".

In his opinion, the future of the EU agricultural sector must be based on organic, digital, sustainable and climate-neutral production to become a driver of investment and growth by 2050. "The future will or will not be organic, and obviously organic agri-food production is a great priority for Spain and for the EU," he said.

Regarding organic production, he stressed that "it is one of the models to follow", as "it is the one that best contributes to the protection of the environment and climate, soil fertility, the improvement and protection of biodiversity, animal welfare and the maintenance of native and endangered breeds".

In this regard, he recalled his journey through the "Farm to Fork" and "Biodiversity" strategies of the European Green Pact, which aim to ensure that at least 25% of agricultural land in the EU is used for organic farming by 2030, with a view to achieving a more sustainable, high quality and resilient food system and, at the same time, a healthy diet for the population.

For Planas, the promotion of organic products and the consequent increase in consumption have a positive impact on the three pillars of sustainability in the primary sector: economic, social and environmental. It also provides consumers with information on how to differentiate between certified and non-certified organic food, and on the requirements for certification, aspects on which, according to the acting minister, work must continue, as "there is still a certain lack of knowledge".

"I am convinced that a loyal consumer is one who knows the characteristics of the products well and appreciates them. And that an educated consumer is a socially and environmentally responsible consumer. Achieving this training and this loyalty is a collective responsibility to which what we have been doing in Spain and in the EU, such as this meeting of Green Ambassadors, contributes", he said.

"Here we are eco-logical", a successful campaign

In 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food launched the campaign "Here we are eco-logical. Nothing to hide", as part of another institutional advertising campaign, "The richest country in the world", which has continued to be broadcast this year.

The acting minister referred to it as the most ambitious project to date in the organic sector - the ministry has earmarked €1.35 million - with a very positive result. Part of its success is due to the collaboration with the private sector, with the participation of the five most representative organisations in the Spanish ecological world.

A highly resilient activity with great potential

The acting minister also took the opportunity to review the evolution of the organic sector in Spain. He said that its long-term momentum has been "spectacular", as evidenced by the 19-fold increase in consumption of organic products over the last twenty years. COVID-19 and the invasion of Ukraine have not slowed down the growth and consolidation of organic production, which demonstrates the "great potential for resilience and the importance" of this activity in Spain.

The latest data available for 2022 show that Spain is, after France, the second country in terms of surface area dedicated to organic production. Specifically, last year it had 2.67 million hectares, which was 1.5% more than in 2021.

It is also the third European country after France and Italy in terms of the number of operators in the organic sector, with a figure of 60,621, and it is also the world's second largest exporter of organic food, this time only surpassed by Italy.

In addition to promotional campaigns such as "Here we are eco-logical", Luis Planas has added the importance of the presence of organic food at international agri-food fairs and through other actions. Among the latter, he mentioned the Food of Spain Awards, which are the most important awards granted by the ministry each year. For the next edition, the awards for the best extra virgin olive oil have a new category that will recognise the best organically produced EVOO.

Non official translation