A new organic equivalency arrangement between the United States and Switzerland – whose residents consume more organic food than any other country — marks the final step in opening the valuable European market to the U.S. organic sector and streamlining the trans-Atlantic flow of organic trade, said the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in welcoming the new pact. Signed in Washington on July 9 2015, the new pact allows organic products certified in the U.S. or Switzerland to be sold as organic in either country, beginning July 10, and eliminates the need for two sets of fees, inspections and paperwork while still upholding high organic oversight standards.

The fact that Switzerland is not a part of the U.S.-EU equivalency agreement since it is not a member of the EU, has been a bottleneck in organic trade between the U.S, the EU and Switzerland. Swiss organic food makers often source organic ingredients from the EU, which are then processed and sent to the United States, and food processors in the EU and the U.S. frequently use Swiss organic ingredients, such as organic chocolate, organic milk powder, or organic dried mustard. The new arrangement will facilitate those transactions and open new opportunities for organic farmers and processors on both sides of the Atlantic.

The organic market in Switzerland has grown steadily in recent years. The Swiss population consumes the most organic, per person, of any population in the world. According to Bio Suisse, the umbrella organization representing the Swiss organic sector, organic retail sales in 2013 in Switzerland jumped 12 percent from the previous year, valued at almost US$2 billion. Meat, fruit, processed products and cheese showed the biggest increase in organic sales.