Skal for certified organic food

Established in 1985, Skal is a private non-profit foundation
with a public task as certification and inspection body for
organic food products in the Netherlands. Skal is assigned
for this task by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and
Food Quality. Skal is the official holder of the EKO quality
mark, as it is found on many Dutch organic products.

The use of the EKO quality mark is restricted to organic
companies certified by Skal. At present more than 1500
farms and some 1400 processing units, importers and trade
and storage companies are registered with Skal.

Residue Monitoring

In 2008 Dutch trading and processing companies, united
in the VBP trade and processing association, decided to
develop the BIOKAP residue monitoring system to safeguard
and guarantee a steady flow of residue-free organic farm
products and processed foods.

Through systematic testing, BIOKAP also traces possible
sources of contamination and acquires knowledge to avoid
future incidents.

In the near future BIOKAP hopes to create a legal framework
to deal with residues in organic products. Because no European
legislation or guidelines for residues currently exist, BIOKAP is
preparing to expand its initiative to allow companies from other
EU nations to join the monitoring system.