The organic foods are those that have been grown and produced without the use of chemical components or genetic changes. They are foods that do not harm or health or the environment.

The ecological agriculture and livestock growing in importance. This is due to the increasing awareness of people at the deterioration of the land and concern for their health.

Spain is a major producer of these foods, but their demand on the part of consumers is still low. Most of the production is intended for export to countries like France or the United Kingdom.

Legislation

Currently, organic foods are regulated by the EEC Regulation 2092/91 which requires standards to comply with the meat, vegetables and other products to receive the label of organic.

There is a distinctive label of these products. This is the only symbol that ensures that organic foods have passed all required checks. Some communities accompanying label is another distinguishing each.

The legislation affects all stages of production, from the payment of land, the care of their fruit to feed the animals. The purpose is always the respect for nature and human beings.

Food Bio

The use of the word "bio" has been banned in the new legislation in order to avoid confusion. Products with this qualification are not organic foods.

The adjective is used in certain dairy products such as yogurt, but it was wrong and now banned. Commercially use is due to the identification of the term so healthy.

Restrictions organic production

Among the prohibitions for cultivation or animal husbandry which imposes rules of organic food are as follows:

·  Using chemicals as pesticides on the land.

·  Using transgenic seeds.

·  Feeding animals with the remains of other animals with the exception of milk and its derivatives and certain fishmeal.

Organic farming

Organic farming must be based on crop rotation to ensure that the land continues to produce without resorting to chemical fertilizers.

It pursues biodiversity and producing food more nutritious. For example fruit generated by these processes have little water and food greatest contribution.

Livestock eco

The farms are never intensive. The animals are not tied and locked. They enjoy greater freedom and performance requirements that are asked are less abusive towards their health and welfare.

Animals are always fed with natural products and subjected to rigorous controls where they checked everything, including the use of medications.

Sales of organic products

At present in almost every city there are shops specializing in the sale of such products, but also some supermarkets have an own brand of organic foods.

Even so, they are not on the shelves of supermarkets all the time because of his consumption is minority. Among the contributing factors is the ignorance of what is really organic foods and its high price.

This is costly due to the higher cost of production resulting from respecting the period of maturation of the fruit, grow species that are adapted to the region and no possibility of increasing the productivity of the land with chemical fertilizers.

Support Measures

The Integrated Plan of Action for the Promotion of Organic Farming established by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock for the years 2007 to 2010, calls for campaigns to increase the consumption of these products.

The plan also aims to encourage this type of production through concrete actions and support for those who are inclined to this line of work.

Benefits of organic foods

The reasons for citizens and governments to address increasingly these foods are the advantages that its production and consumption reports to the environment and human being:

·  No use of chemicals that harm the environment.

·  Reducing consumption of products harmful to health.

·  Respect for biodiversity.

·  Conservation of agricultural species and native livestock.

·  Reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by not require too many man-made products.

·  Reducing greenhouse effect.

·  Conservation of natural resources.