New Rules for Production, Distribution, and Labeling of Organic Products

On 20 July 2026, the President of Ukraine signed Law of Ukraine No. 4921-IX “On State Regulation of Organic Production, Distribution, and Labeling of Organic Products,” dated 30 June 2026, which updates the rules governing the organic products market in accordance with European Union legislation.

Thus, the Law establishes uniform requirements for the production and distribution of organic products at all stages – from primary production, processing, and storage to transportation, sale, labeling, advertising, import, and export.

From now on, the terms “organic,” “biodynamic,” “biological,” “ecological,” and words derived from them with the prefixes “bio-” and “eco-” may be used only for products that meet the established criteria and have the appropriate certificate. Advertising conventional products as organic will be considered misleading advertising.

The certification procedure for market operators is being improved, and the option for group certification is being introduced. This will allow small producers to join forces to obtain certification and enter the organic products market.

The system of state oversight

In addition, the Law strengthened the system of state oversight: the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection will supervise market operators and authorized certification bodies, and will have the authority to conduct official investigations in cases of suspected product non-compliance, with the ability to prohibit organic labeling, restrict the circulation of products, or remove them from the market.

Violations of labeling rules and the provision of false information are subject to fines of up to 24 times the minimum wage for legal entities and up to 16 times the minimum wage for individual entrepreneurs.

Importantly, most provisions of the Law will take effect only three years after its official publication – this transition period is intended to allow for the preparation of subordinate legislation, the updating of state registries, and the adaptation of businesses and certification bodies to the new requirements. At the same time, certificates issued under current legislation will remain valid until their expiration dates, and products labeled in accordance with the previous requirements may continue to be manufactured and placed on the market for another three years after the law takes effect.

We will continue to closely monitor further developments in this area and report on them in the future Legal News.