Organic rules tighten in new year
Mandatory certification is a major step, but lack of monitoring vendors a concern
B.C. consumers are paying a premium for organic food without the assurance they’re getting the real deal. Forthcoming provincial rules aim to change that by requiring that food sold as organic must pass an accredited certification process.
“Current legislation enables a voluntary certification system, meaning you don’t need to be certified to use the term ‘organic,’ ” the province’s organics industry specialist, Emma Holmes, said in Victoria.
Effective Sept. 1, 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture will require all domestically produced and processed foods and beverages marketed in B.C. as organic to be certified through a federal or provincial program. Organics sold outside B.C. fall under federal rules regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The major flaw in the new B.C. regulations is the lack of provision for monitoring and enforcement where organic products are sold. “It will be a complaint basis, with graduated enforcement,” Holmes said.
While it can be difficult for consumers to tell the difference between organic and non-organic produce, if a seller refuses to provide evidence of certification, that would be justification for filing an official complaint.
An enforcement officer will follow up, Holmes said. There are no current plans to make inspection results available to the public. In some cases, other producers might be in the best position to file complaints.
Organic certification doesn’t guarantee the physical characteristics of a product, merely the processes and substances used in its production — often a point of misunderstanding among consumers. It can take one to three years for new farms to be granted organic status.
“In partnership with the organic sector we’re trying to raise awareness about what it means to be organic,” said Susan Smith, who previously held Holmes’s job. “The intent of making certification mandatory is to reduce consumer confusion.”
Holmes said that major food retailers already tend to require organic suppliers to produce evidence of certification, and suggested the regulations are aimed more at direct-sell farmer markets.
Wylie Bystedt, president of the B.C. Association of Farmers Markets, said her group already supports the certification of organic sellers, but doesn’t conduct enforcement to ensure compliance. “We’re not a policing body. What happens on the ground can be a little different.”
The fast-growing association has 146 member markets in 110 communities across the province.
“We try to bring transparency, that’s always important to us,” Bystedt said. “Markets are unique in that consumers can talk directly to producers, whether they are organic or not. Consumers find out growing and raising practices and see how that aligns with their personal values.”
Markets are in favour of the new rules, she said. “We’re already so close to being there. It won’t mean huge changes on the ground for us.”
Bystedt, the owner of Coyote Acres Ranch in Quesnel, said her association will be working with member markets to ensure they have correct information on the new regulations, and will present sessions on the topic at the association’s annual meeting in March in Victoria.
“Grocery stores like to downplay markets as not being as a welcome, and the truth never bears that out,” she said. “I firmly believe the quality of the product from a farmers market will beat out any products from any other source.”
Carmen Wakeling is president of the Certified Organic Associations of B.C., the governmentapproved body responsible for overseeing the B.C. Certified Organic Program. Her organization is an umbrella association representing organic certifying bodies in the province.
Verification officers employed by these bodies come to farms to ensure their produce meets organic standards.
Farm plans and documentation of practices must be maintained for inspection.
“The problem is that a lot of the people who are using the word organic are not certified in the province now,” said Wakeling, whose company is Eatmore Sprouts and Greens Ltd. in the Comox Valley.
The findings of verification officers are also not currently available to the public, but that might change.
“Maybe this is something we should push for,” she said. “Maybe this is part of our continuous improvement because it is useful for people to know. It’s an evolution, right?”
Among the organic requirements, produce and grains must not be grown with synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or genetically modified organisms. Animals must not be fed byproducts of other animals, or be kept constantly caged indoors, without access to fresh air or opportunities to socialize with other animals. Processed organic foods must not contain chemical preservatives or synthetic additives such as colourings and waxes.