The BNN Assortment Guidelines provide both specialised natural food trade retailers and consumers with security, as they stand for a holistic-ecological assortment - also beyond the EU Organic Regulation.
Conscious consumers - First point of contact is the specialised natural food trade .
Specialised natural food retailers and supermarkets are the first point of contact for consumers who value ecologically produced food as well as selected drugstore and non-food products that are produced according to ecological and sustainable quality standards. Not every shopping place that calls itself a wholefood shop exclusively sells organically certified food and everyday products. In some stores, consumers may also find a mixed assortment of certified organic and conventional foods.
The EU Organic Regulation, the basic law for certified organic agricultural products that are traded as food, feed or seed with the designation "organic" or "biological" product. Products that meet the legal requirements are labeled with the European (or German) organic seal. However, natural cosmetics, ecological cleaning agents and laundry detergents are not covered by the European Organic Regulation.
BNN Assortment Guidelines: highest standard for wholefood shops and consumers
Together with Naturkost Süd e.V., the BNN created a guideline back in 1999 that gives consumers orientation as towhich wholefood shop offers a full range of high-quality ecological products: the BNN Assortment Guidelines. With its requirements it covers products such as wild fish, natural cosmetics, ecological cleaning agents and laundry detergents, product ranges that go beyond the EU organic regulation.
The focus is on a common understanding of environmentally friendly, natural production and processing across all stages of the value chain.
The advantages for wholefood shops: certified assortment - 100% consistent
For retailers, the BNN Assortment Guidelines eliminate the the need of tedious checking the quality of individual products and provide an opportunity for profiling and differentiation.
At the same time, the Assortment Guidelines provide security and an orientation guide for the selection of holistic ecological products for consumers.
Specialised natural food retailers in BNN e.V. and Naturkost Süd e.V. commit themselves to aligning their assortment with the guidelines and having it inspected by independent and qualified experts every two years. Stores that successfully pass the assortment control receive a certificate and have access to attractive communication materials to make their commitment visible to their customers.
The BNN Assortment Guidelines: Quality measure from retailers for retailers.
The development of the Assortment Guidelines is in the hands of a Steering Committee consisting of retail members of Naturkost Süd e.V. and BNN e.V. and is coordinated by a member of the BNN quality team.
The architects of the Assortment Guidelines therefore know what is important in the practical everyday life of retailers and develop and expand the set of rules in a targeted manner. In addition, the latest research findings are always taken into account and subject-specific experts are consulted.
The Steering Committee of the Assortment Guidelines currently consists of the following persons: