Established in 1985, Skal is a control authority 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.