This year, the AB (Organic Agriculture) label turns 40. We can celebrate 40 years spent patiently building an agricultural and food model that cares for the living world, powered by people who embrace the belief that other methods of production and consumption are possible. Among these are organic processors, who play a central and yet largely unheralded role.
Processing in the organic sector means choosing to conserve the essential characteristics of the product and its ingredients as far as is possible. It means adhering to exacting standards over the long term: avoiding all forms of artifice, eluding short cuts, all the while making organic produce compatible with large-scale production. In short: processing does not betray the product; it prolongs its meaningfulness.
To structure a demanding and credible organic sector, processors have come together and acted in concert by helping lay the very foundations of the industry: organising supply chains, drawing up the first specifications, and contributing to the official recognition of organic agriculture in 1985.
By playing their part in creating the AB logo, its identity and its cultural roots, processors have given a boost to organic products on the market: shifting them upmarket, creating identifiable brands, and offering educational insights to consumers. This groundwork has established the organic label both in households and in people’s minds, to such an extent that it has become a point of reference in the agricultural and food landscape and in the collective conscience. With a 93% awareness rating in 2025, the organic label is the second best-known in France, just behind the Nutriscore traffic light scoring system.
Throughout these last 40 years, processors have always remained true to the cause. They have taken part in the big events of the industry: the definition of French and then European legal frameworks, the États Généraux de l’alimentation, advocating for consistent environmental labelling, and general public events such as the Printemps bio.
In recent years, the organic sector has been through a tough period. With the recession and a certain trend of “biobashing”, the momentum has suffered setbacks, but we have continued to hold our ground. We are seeing the early signs of a recovery, despite the French government’s retreat on the green transition. We nevertheless remain confident in consumers’ and citizens’ continued demand for food and drink that takes greater care of people and the planet.
In this respect, through our label BioED, we are developing what could be termed as organically sustainable food: it is our way of helping sustain an organic sector in motion, with its endless developments. The story that began 40 years ago is writing its next chapter!