The QS/ITW organic pilot makes segregation and mass balance operational

QS and Initiative Tierwohl have launched a pilot project allowing organic meat to be used in QS- and ITW-declared meat products and meat preparations. The initiative aims to open marketing routes for organic raw materials within both systems and develop them jointly with organic farming associations. For processors, the change matters because it connects two assurance logics that have so far been organised separately.

The pilot does not remove the systems’ requirements. Organic meat must originate from farms certified to the standards of an organic association active in Germany; the animals must be slaughtered and cut at plants eligible to supply the QS system. Participating manufacturers must record the organic volumes used, their suppliers and the relevant associations through a standardised quantity declaration. QS and ITW have announced spot checks.

The quantitative limit is crucial: the permissible organic share is capped at 15 percent of the total monthly amount across products. This is therefore not a general authorisation to blend claims, but a defined raw-material-flow test. In particular, batch segregation, mass balance and the quality of supplier data will determine whether a claim remains verifiable from goods receipt to finished product.

For the sector, the pilot turns purchasing flexibility into a data-management task. It can create options to use organic volumes and broaden assortments, but only if companies control consistency between certification, eligibility, quantity documentation and labelling. QS and ITW bodies intend to decide on continuation of the project in January 2027.