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Calgary Food: What is Organic Food
The organic revolution with important production and consumers of organic foods around the world including Canada, the USA, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile and South Africa. , China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, and the UK.
Popular organic food items include: organic beef, organic coconut oil and organic olive oil., organic coffee, organic corn, organic essential oils, organic fruits, organic herbs, organic honey, organic meat, organic milk, organic rice, organic tea, organic vegetables, and organic wine.
What "Organic" Means in Food
Grown using agricultural management practices that
- Create ecosystems capable of ensuring sustained productivity
- Control weeds and pests through a diversity of interdependent forms of life
- Recycle plant and animal wastes
- Use crop selection and rotation
- Manage water
With this method s there are several environmental benefits: plants and animals are provided with essential nutrients, the soil fertility is maintained and improved by a system that maximizes soil activity, and soil resources are conserved.
To avoid using pesticides and harmful chemicals, insects and diseases are controlled by using biological and crop controls , encouraging a balanced host-predator relationship, increasing beneficial insect populations, mechanical elimination of pests or damaged plant parts.
For Crops:
- No chemical pesticides nor weed killers (use mechanical or biological techniques and organic methods instead)
- Neo synthetic fertilizer nor sewage sludge (reinforce the soil by using proven agriculture methods instead)
- No Seed originating from GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) - use only original seeds
For animal breeding:
- Neither antibiotics nor growth hormones (use alternative therapeutic techniques such as homeopathy)
- No animal wastes or slaughter byproducts in food diets (use feed that is cultivated according to organic standards and without GMOs)
- No overpopulation of animals in closed building (provide decent living conditions with adequate moving space, the outdoors, sunlight and fresh air )
For processed food products
- No chemical dyes, artificial flavours nor synthetic additives including sulphates, nitrates (Preserving the original taste )
- No preservatives
- No irradiation
- No synthetic fungicides or preservatives in packaging or storage materials
Canada Organic Standard and Regulation
Although Canada has had an organic standard since 1999, it was only codified into law by the Organic Products Regulations in 2006, and has yet to be implemented. Certification of organic producers and handlers, and accreditation of certifiers has been voluntary, except in Québec, which requires certification to the Québec organic standard by an accredited certifying body. In, 2006, the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) announced approval of the revised organic standards.
The proposed Canada Organic Regime will define accredited certifiers, procedures for inspection and certification, a Canada Organic seal, surveillance and enforcement, and maintenance of the Canada Organic Standard and Permitted Substance List. For the latest information on the status of the regulations and standards, as well as links to the documents, please visit OTA's
Canadian Standards page or contact
[email protected] or (613) 482-1717
Organic Links
