Organic alcoholic beverages and spirits
Valvira supervises the manufacture, wholesale, storage and placing on the market, as well as export to and import from third countries, of organic alcoholic beverages and spirits. The other control authorities for organic production in Finland are the Finnish Food Authority and Finnish Customs.
A product is considered to bear an indication referring to organic production if the consumer is given the impression that the product or one of its ingredients has been produced in accordance with the rules for organic production. The reference may appear on the sales package, other labelling, advertising materials or commercial documents.
Alcoholic beverages produced, imported and/or marketed with indications referring to organic production are also subject to the same regulations as alcoholic beverages produced using conventional methods. Organic spirits are subject to all the regulations concerning organic alcoholic beverages as far as applicable.
Registration in control system for organic production
Registration in Valvira’s control system for organic production requires the applicant to have a licence for the manufacture or wholesale of alcoholic beverages or spirits granted by Valvira. Registration in the control system for organic production takes place by submitting an application for an amendment of the manufacture or wholesale licence via the e-service of the alcohol trade register (Allu) before the start of organic production activities. It is also possible to register when applying for a manufacture or wholesale licence. In addition to the applicant’s details, the application must specify the operations covered by the application (manufacture by the applicant, manufacture by another party, storage, import, export and/or wholesale).
Register in the control system in the e-service of the alcohol trade register (Allu).
The processing time varies on a case-by-case basis, but the estimated processing time is approximately 30 days. The licence holder must undergo an initial inspection for organic production before registration. The fee for the decision and the fee for supervision are determined in accordance with the currently valid Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. For applications submitted by 31 December 2025, the fee for the decision is 500 euros and the inspection fee is 260 euros.
The decision on registration in the control system is valid until further notice. Compliance with the regulations is monitored through annual inspections and register control. If necessary, Valvira will provide detailed instructions on compliance with the regulations during the inspection. Based on the inspection, a fixed-term organic production certificate with which the licence holder can prove that they are registered in the control system will be issued.
The European Union organic logo must be used in pre-packaged foodstuffs if the product meets the conditions set for organic products and its presentation refers to organic production. The EU organic logo consists of the EU stars in the shape of a leaf on a green background. It is also possible to use the logo for products from third countries. The logo must always be accompanied by a notice about where the agricultural raw materials in the product have been produced.
The Regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products requires the product information of alcoholic beverages to indicate which ingredients are organic if the product also contains ingredients of conventional agricultural origin.
Products marketed as organic must always bear the code number and/or name of the authority/control body responsible for the control of the final stage of the preparation of the product. Valvira’s code number is FI-EKO-301.
The name of an alcoholic beverage may include an indication of organic production if at least 95% of its ingredients of agricultural origin are organic. The other ingredients, up to a maximum of 5%, may be conventionally produced ingredients specifically allowed for organic products by the regulations.
The number of additives authorised for organic products is significantly lower than for conventional products. Of flavourings, only natural or organic ones are allowed. The use of genetically modified organisms and products derived from such organisms is prohibited in products marketed as organic.
Compositional requirements and regulations are specified in more detail in Valvira’s guideline on the control of organically produced alcoholic beverages. You will find the guideline at the end of this page.
The production, import from third countries and marketing of organic alcoholic beverages are subject to the same regulations as organic food in general. If the organic alcoholic beverages are manufactured or packaged in the same premises as conventional alcoholic beverages, the licence holder must be able to keep the organic ingredients and finished organic products separate from the corresponding conventional ingredients and products throughout the manufacturing process.
Such separation may be ensured by using separate storage facilities or marked storage areas/shelves, for example. If the same equipment (e.g. fermentation tanks) is used for the production of organic products as for the production of conventional alcoholic beverages, the separation must be ensured by processing the organic alcoholic beverages at different times, for example.
The procedure for keeping ingredients and products separate must be described in the organic production plan to be submitted on registration in the control system. The organic production plan may be part of the licence holder’s self-monitoring plan in accordance with the Alcohol Act and Food Act.
A licence holder included in the control system for organic production must prepare its accounts so that it is possible to determine the volume of received, stored and delivered organic agricultural products, foodstuffs and alcoholic beverages. Manufacturers must have certificates indicating that the producers of the ingredients are registered in the control system. Wholesalers must have certificates indicating that the producers or importers of the products they represent are registered in the control system.
The reporting of alcoholic beverages marketed as organic to Valvira (product and delivery information) does not differ from the reporting of other alcoholic beverages. The product must be declared as an organic product in the product notification.
In the case of organic alcoholic beverages imported from third countries, the importer must always submit a batch-specific notification to Valvira at the latest when the inspection certificate for the next batch is submitted to the customs authorities.
Frequently asked questions about organic alcoholic beverages
The legislation on organic production allows the indication of small-scale organic ingredients in the list of ingredients for a product produced using conventional methods. If you wish, you can specify in the list of ingredients for a conventional product which of the ingredients are organic. In such a case, the total percentage of organic ingredients in the total amount of ingredients of agricultural origin must be given. The marketing of the product as an organic product is not allowed. The licence holder must be registered in the control system for organic production if the list of ingredients of a conventional product includes an organic ingredient.