Confidence, support grows for organic food
Ottawa and consumers are showing a lot of confidence in Canada’s organic sector, which continues to break new ground and reach new markets.
At the end of June, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay announced more than $2 million in federal support for organics, split more or less evenly between two of the country’s leading organic agriculture organizations.
The money, earmarked for the Canada Organic Trade Association and the Prairie Organic Development Fund, is intended to help advance the sector in several ways.
First, it will help resolve market access issues, ensure Canadian organic products are competitive, build export capacity and develop domestic opportunities.
As well, Ottawa says the support will build evidence for organics through data aggregation and benchmarking, growing organic supply and leadership through education, tools, and skill-building, and strengthening public trust in Canadian organics.
Expect to see new organic-product marketing campaigns. Other activities destined to follow the new support include incoming and outgoing trade missions, international trade shows and technical training, mostly outside of the public eye.
With the mountains of misinformation surrounding food and agriculture, strengthening public trust in any sector is key. Organics stand out because they got off to a checkered start decades ago, when “organic” did not have a clear definition.
Consumers didn’t really know what the term meant. They assumed organic food was better for them than conventionally produced food, but clear evidence was trailing behind about that claim.
The sector realized it needed uniformity. That led to what’s called the Canada Organic Regime, a government-run program responsible for organic certification in Canada, created in 2009.
Certification is not meant to help consumers decide whether organic is good, better or best. Rather, it helps them determine what most people in the sector would agree is organic…and just as importantly, what is not.
Growers who want to be known as certified organic food producers must meet industry standards for organic production, including the kind of fertilizer they use and the way they protect their crops from insects and disease.
In announcing the new support for the organic sector, the federal government said organic farming techniques can help improve soil health, promote biodiversity and boost farm resilience in the face of climate change. Canadian organic standards cover the spectrum of agriculture and food including livestock, field crops, horticulture, honey, maple sugar and much more.
Perhaps bolstered by the assurance that organic food is indeed what producers claim it is, organic food sales continue to rise. According to the latest figures available, organic food and beverage sales in Canada nearly hit $8 billion in 2022, up from $7.24 billion in 2021.
That’s an impressive figure. But it’s still a fraction of conventional agriculture and food production and sales. However, it does suggest that public trust is growing. And based on how the new federal support will be spent, the right investments are being made for Canadian organic production and for the consumers who support it.
Owen Roberts is an agricultural journalist from Guelph and a communications instructor at the University of Illinois. He regularly visits family in Creemore.
