Ottawa – In recent years, the Canadian agri-food sector has seen increasing demand for organic food products at home and around the world. Canada is among the top countries for sales of organic food products in the global market. Standardizing practices and substances that can be labelled as “organic” is vitally important for Canada to remain competitive in global trade. Regulations also ensure that imported products labelled as organic are complying with Canadian standards, to protect Canadian consumers.
Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced $502,374 to the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) to update the standards regulating the production and marketing of certified organic products. This funding is provided through the AgriAssurance Program – National Industry Association Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
In consultation with the organic sector, the OFC will update the Canadian Organic Standards to add new practices and permitted substances and revise the sections on animal welfare. The OFC project will focus on innovative, sustainable and ecological organic practices that can reduce the impact of climate change by capturing and storing carbon in soil and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The OFC will also explore regenerative agriculture practices such as vertical agriculture and sunless crops, which will have positive long-term effects for the sector.
“With this investment, we’re helping facilitate more trade opportunities for Canadian organic producers and keeping pace with the latest practices. These standards are an important tool to help the industry so they can keep meeting the needs of folks here in Canada, and around the world.” – Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food