Primary products and foodstuffs

Agrarmarkt Austria (AMA) Organic Seal Guideline

The AMA Organic Seal Guideline describes a voluntary quality assurance system for organic foodstuffs. This guideline lays down requirements for participating slaughterhouses and cutting plants, treatment and processing establishments, packing and storage centres and food trade establishments.

Important content:
• In the case of processed foods, all ingredients of agricultural origin must come entirely from certified organic farming (with the exception of natural casings, pectin and yeasts, where these are not available in organic form).
• All agricultural holdings that produce organic plant or animal raw materials for AMA organic-labelled products must comply with ecological measures: Establishment of biodiversity areas on arable land, establishment of biodiversity areas on grassland, conservation of grassland perimeter, crop diversification on arable land
• Use of certified organic ingredients of agricultural origin from recognised quality assurance schemes that impose additional criteria in the area of internal control and/or product quality requirements (plant-based production: seeds, soil management/irrigation, fertilisation, plant protection, biodiversity; animal production: feeding, appropriate animal husbandry, animal health, procedures on animals).
• Participating establishments must put in place a comprehensive system to ensure good hygiene practices: in particular operational and production hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, personal hygiene, pest control, own-checking system in accordance with HACCP, staff training, allergen management, drinking water analyses
• Prohibition of packaging materials containing chlorine and obligation to choose environmentally friendly packaging types.
• Mandatory complaint management: all complaints and claims-are registered and evaluated.
• Continuous inspection upon goods acceptance: checking the quality and origin markings on delivery notes, ensuring that the labelling is complete (e.g. labels, proof of origin) and matches the goods delivered
• Mandatory regular product analyses.
• No use of foodstuff substitutes and no use of insect meal.
• A broad restriction on the use of additives and a ban on numerous additives that would otherwise be permitted in organic products.
• No use of organic palm oil or organic palm kernel oil or fats derived from them as ingredients.
• Minimum ageing period for fresh meat.
• Compliance with the requirements of the AMA Quality Label Animal Transport Guidelines for cattle and pigs.
• Conduct annual audits at AMA organic seal slaughterhouses to verify compliance with animal welfare requirements.
• Mandatory participation in the “bos” beef labelling system, the “sus” pig meat labelling system or other recognised labelling systems and consistent labelling in accordance with those systems.
• Implementation of residue monitoring by the participating establishments: risk-based monitoring system for plant and storage protection products in the establishment.
• Traceable origin.
• Control system consisting of in-house inspections carried out by the establishment itself, external inspections by independent inspection bodies and laboratories (regular laboratory analyses according to the parameters specified in the guideline) and supervisory inspections (inspection of inspection, system evaluation, witness audits)