Feb. 2026. The BIOFACH 2026 took place in Nuremberg, Germany from 10 - 13 February and was a complete success! We were delighted to personally connect with clients and provide in-depth consultations on food safety, audits, and certification. In addition, the team was honored to contribute to the official Biofach Congress on February 11.
For the first time, the new organic Regulation (EU) 2018/848 introduces rules for the detection of unauthorized products and substances in organic products. However, there are still major shortcomings in the proper, harmonised implementation of Article 29's requirements, both within and outside Europe. This raises major concerns within the industry and trade regarding potential supply chain delays due to time-consuming investigations in the event of analytical findings.
Such investigations are unjustified in cases that do not indicate a violation when empirical knowledge or scientific findings are applied. What does 'presence' mean in Article 29(1)? Analytical methods for residues and contaminants do not recognise 'non-presence' – at most, they are not detected above the LOD. Without defined trigger levels, this ambiguity could lead to arbitrary assessments. Furthermore, Articles 28 and 29 are interpreted and implemented differently in EU Member States.
These issues were addressed through presentations from industry, trade, certification bodies, and analytical laboratories. Aurora Abad, Secretary General of OPTA (Organic Processing and Trade Association), pointed out the consequences of delays in product delivery caused by unjustified investigations, as well as the industry's expectation that EFSA's conclusions will result in policy changes and changes in how those policies are implemented. Johannes Jaschik, from the Eurofins pesticide laboratory Dr. Specht International GmbH, presented case studies on the complexity of pesticide metabolites. Are they an indicator of pesticide use, or could they have other causes? Dr Werner Nader, a consultant at Eurofins Dr. Specht Express Testing & Inspection GmbH, presented 20 multi-source substances which could be interpreted as pesticide residues but which may also have different causes to intentional agricultural applications. Using case studies, he focused on four substances that cause particular problems: phosphonic acid, fosetyl, glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA. Juan Carlos Pérez Montero, Vice President of the EOCC (European Organic Certifiers Council), presented challenges for organic certifiers.
Click here to download the presentation.
A video recording of the session is available for all registered Biofach 2026 visitors on the trade show’s Talque platform.
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