Once again, a warning has been issued - this time by the Zentrale zur Bekämpfung unlauteren Wettbewerbs e.V. ("Wettbewerbszentrale"). ("Wettbewerbszentrale") - and in this case it is about the online sale of organic food without the traders themselves being subject to the controls of a competent organic control body. The Wettbewerbszentrale argues that those traders who evade the legal requirements, i.e. save themselves the costs of the legally required certification, have a competitive advantage.
In fact, every trader who produces, prepares, stores, imports from a third country or places on the market organic products is obliged, according to Art. 28 (1) of Council of Europe Regulation (EC) No. 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products (EC Organic Regulation), to declare his activity to the competent authorities of the member state in which this activity is carried out and to submit his enterprise to the control system before placing any products on the market. Thus, according to the regulation, the entire retail trade is obliged to be certified.