ORGANIC FOOD REGULATION IN CANADA

The Canadian government applies Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) administered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Section 13 of these regulations is dedicated to organic products and provides instructions regarding interpretation, packaging and labelling, percentage of organic products, certification, and suspension and cancellation.

The government also has a regulation for the certification of organic products for national and foreign products. Only products with 95% or more organic content may carry the Canadian Organic Logo. Having the logo is not mandatory, but it is a trusted symbol that is helpful for consumers.

Companies that sell food must comply with regulations and have a policy for Corporate Social Responsibility, seeking to satisfy consumer preferences shifting toward products perceived to be healthier and more humane. An example is that of Loblaw Companies Limited, which expresses the following in its product sustainability policy: "Over the years, we've increased our offering of certified organic products in our stores. We've heard from many of our customers that they want products made with a reduced environmental impact and without any chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, as well as products that do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).In 2020, we expanded the PC® Organics product lineup to now include more than 550 products. All are third-party certified and continue to meet Canada's organic standards, emphasizing sustainability and a holistic approach to agriculture."

For all of the above, it could be said that Canada is making efforts to certify, label and monitor foods being sold as organic, as long as the quality systems are carrying out their task permanently.