Why we're Soil Association certified — and what it means

We have been Soil Association certified since 2016, under licence DA25511. That is a fact most customers notice only as a small logo on our packaging, but there is a meaningful amount behind it — about what organic actually requires at the level the Soil Association sets, why we chose them over the other approved certifiers in the UK, and what that choice commits us to every year. This post is my attempt to explain it plainly.

What Soil Association certification covers

Organic certification in the UK is a legal framework. Any business selling products labelled as organic must be certified by one of the UK's approved control bodies — the bodies that inspect operations and verify that organic standards have been met. The certification covers agricultural ingredients (how they are grown, what they are treated with, how they are handled), supply chain traceability, and the way the finished product is made and labelled.

For a supplement or food business like ours, that means every organic ingredient we use must be traceable to a certified organic source, and our own production processes must be inspected and approved. It is not enough to buy organic ingredients and trust the paperwork — the certifier checks the whole chain.

Soil Association certification means we are inspected annually. Every year, a Soil Association inspector reviews our records, our ingredient sourcing, our suppliers, our labels, and our manufacturing processes. If something changes — a new supplier, a reformulation, a different packaging material — we have to disclose that and get it approved. The certificate is renewed, not assumed.

Why the Soil Association sets a higher bar than other UK certifiers

There are three other organic certifiers operating in the UK: OF&G (Organic Farmers & Growers), the Organic Food Federation (OFF), and a small number of others. All of them are approved UK control bodies. All certify to the same legal minimum — the UK organic regulation that sets the floor for what can be called organic. Holding certification from any of them means the legal standard has been met.

The Soil Association goes further. Their standards include a set of additional requirements on top of the legal minimum — stricter rules on permitted processing aids, tighter traceability requirements, and a more prescriptive approach to what can and cannot be included in certified organic products. The result is that Soil Association certification is harder to achieve and maintain than certification from a body that certifies only to the legal minimum. It is more expensive too, which is worth being clear about, because it is a cost we choose to carry.

We also chose the Soil Association because their mark is the most widely recognised organic certification in the UK. Surveys consistently show it has the highest consumer recognition of any organic certification mark. For our customers — who already pay attention to provenance and standards — that matters. The Soil Association mark is one they know, and one that carries weight when they look it up.

Why we made this choice in 2016

When Aon and I were setting up what we wanted the business to look like, organic certification was not optional in our minds — it was the baseline. The products we sell are mostly things we use ourselves and have used for years. We were not going to sell something to a customer that we would not be comfortable with ourselves, and the sourcing and composition questions that organic certification answers are the same questions we would ask when buying.

We chose the Soil Association specifically because of the standard they hold their certified businesses to. OF&G and OFF certify to the legal minimum, which is a legitimate and honest standard — but we wanted the external check to be as thorough as possible. If an inspector is coming every year to look at how we operate, I would rather that inspection be rigorous.

The other factor was transparency. The Soil Association publishes its standards in detail — anyone can read what the certification actually requires. That openness is something I find reassuring, and I think it is something our customers should be able to access too if they want to look into it.

What it means in practice for our products

Practically, Soil Association certification affects almost every aspect of how we source and make things. Every ingredient we use in a certified organic product has to come from an approved organic source. We cannot substitute a non-organic ingredient without losing the certification on that product. Suppliers are checked. Labels are reviewed. New products have to go through an approval process before they can carry the mark.

It also affects what is not in our products. Organic standards restrict the permitted processing aids, additives, and solvents that can be used in making certified organic products — the Soil Association's list is stricter than the legal minimum. That is part of why our supplements tend to be short on unnecessary additives. Some of that reflects our own preferences; some of it is simply what certification requires. Both push in the same direction.

If you want a fuller picture of how to read what is and is not in a supplement, our post on additives to avoid in supplements goes into more detail on that.

Food safety alongside organic certification

Soil Association certification answers the sourcing question: what goes in, where did it come from, and to what standard. It does not cover the manufacturing environment itself — that is a different set of standards. For that, we hold SALSA accreditation (Safe and Local Supplier Approval), which is independently audited annually and covers our production site in Bottesford: HACCP, allergen management, traceability, food microbiology, and pest management.

The two certifications do different jobs. Together, they cover what goes in and how it is made. If you are interested in the detail of the SALSA side, we have written about that separately in why we hold SALSA accreditation.

How to verify our certification

Our Soil Association licence number is DA25511. You can check the status of any Soil Association certified business through the Soil Association Certification licence lookup on their website at soilassociation.org. As with our SALSA listing, you do not need to take our word for it — the record is publicly searchable.

If you have any questions about our certification or about how we source specific ingredients, you are welcome to email us directly. Ian and Aon are at the other end of that address, and we will answer properly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Soil Association certification and OF&G?

Both are UK-approved organic control bodies. OF&G (Organic Farmers & Growers) certifies businesses to the UK organic regulation — the legal minimum standard for organic products. The Soil Association applies that same legal minimum plus an additional set of requirements of their own, covering things like permitted processing aids, additives, and traceability in more detail. Soil Association certification is widely considered the more demanding standard.

How long have you been Soil Association certified?

Since 2016, continuously. Our licence number is DA25511. Certification is renewed annually through an inspection process — it is not a one-off award.

Does organic certification cover everything you sell?

Most of our range is certified organic. Where a product is not certified organic, we say so clearly — we would never label something as organic without the certification to back it up. The Soil Association certification applies at the product level, not just the business level, so each certified product has been through the approval process in its own right.

Why does Soil Association certification cost more than other organic certifiers?

Because their standards are more demanding and their inspection process is more thorough. The additional requirements beyond the legal minimum take more time and resource to meet and to verify. We think that cost is worth carrying — it is a meaningful commitment rather than a minimum compliance exercise.

Can I see your organic certification?

Yes. Our Soil Association licence can be verified through the Soil Association's public lookup at soilassociation.org using licence number DA25511. For more general background on what organic supplement certification involves and what to look for, our post on what Soil Association organic certification actually means covers the broader picture.