Q.01

When can a product use the Canada Organic logo?

A product can carry the Canada Organic logo only if it is a certified organic product. If it has more than one ingredient, at least 95% of its contents must also be organic. Both conditions are set by section 359 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), and the logo is the "product legend" in Schedule 9. [1] Using the logo is voluntary. Once it is on the label, the product falls under Part 13 of the SFCR, even if it is only sold within one province.

Approach: I read Part 13 (Organic Products) of the current SFCR consolidation, which is current to 2026-09-21. I also checked the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) organic-claims guidance. The stored copy of section 340 leaves out the regulatory definition of "organic product", so that point comes from the CFIA's wording.

The conditions in section 359

  • Putting the logo on a food or using it with a food (s. 359(1)): allowed if (a) the food is an organic product and (b) for a multi-ingredient food, at least 95% of its contents are organic products. [1]
  • Advertising and selling a food that carries the logo (s. 359(2)): the same two conditions apply. [1]
  • Items other than food (s. 359(3)): the logo may be used on any other item covered by the Act, but only for advertising or information purposes. [1]
  • How the 95% is calculated: according to standard CAN/CGSB-32.310 (s. 343). [2]
  • What "organic product" means: the CFIA describes it as a food commodity that has been certified organic, either under the SFCR or by a foreign entity Canada recognises (CFIA, Organic claims on food labels).

Products below 95% organic

  • They cannot use the logo or call themselves "organic". If the product is certified, it may say "X% organic ingredients", with the percentage rounded down and shown in characters of the same height and prominence as the words (s. 353(2)). [3]
  • The CFIA guidance sets this percentage claim at 70-95% organic content and states these products "may not use the organic logo or the claim 'organic'" (CFIA).
  • A food that is not an organic product may still mark which ingredients are organic in its ingredient list (s. 353(3)). [3]

Imported products

  • An imported product must meet one of three conditions:
    • certified under the SFCR, or
    • certified under an organic equivalence arrangement with the exporting country by a body that country accredits, or
    • if its country of origin has no such arrangement, certified by a body accredited by a country that does, under that arrangement's terms.
  • The importer must be able to show the certificate on request and keep it for five years (s. 357). [4]
  • If an imported product carries the logo, the label must say "Product of" immediately before the country of origin, or "Imported" close to the logo (s. 354(d)). [5]

Other label requirements when an organic claim is made

  • Certifier: name the body that certified the product. For imports, this can be the foreign-accredited entity (s. 354(a)-(b)).
  • Ingredient list: for multi-ingredient foods, identify the organic ingredients (s. 354(c)). [5]
  • Packaging and labelling: for products shipped between provinces, only a holder of a certificate granted under section 345 or 348 may package or label them (s. 342). [6]

Where Part 13 applies The CFIA says the Canada Organic Regime does not cover organic products sold only within one province or territory, unless they display the Canada organic logo (CFIA, Regulating organic products).

Logo format The CFIA allows three versions:

  • black on a white background;
  • black on a transparent background;
  • colour on a white or transparent background, with green borders (Pantone 368), a red maple leaf (Pantone 186) and black lettering (CFIA).

I can look up a specific certification body in the CFIA register of accredited bodies, or check its cancelled-certifications list, if that would help.

Q.02

What's the 95% rule?

The 95% rule means a multi-ingredient food can be called "organic" or carry the Canada Organic logo only if it is a certified organic product and at least 95% of its contents are organic products. The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) set the threshold twice, in identical terms: section 353(1) for organic claims and section 359 for the logo. [3][1]

Approach: I read Part 13 (Organic Products) of the SFCR consolidation, which is current to 2026-09-21. The standard that sets out how to do the calculation, CAN/CGSB-32.310, is not in the sources I can search.

Where the rule applies

  • Organic claims (s. 353(1)): The word "organic" and similar terms ("organically grown", "organically raised", "organically produced", or abbreviations, symbols and phonetic versions of these) may be used on the label or in advertising of a food shipped between provinces only if (a) the food is an organic product, and (b) for a multi-ingredient food, at least 95% of its contents are organic products. [3]
  • The logo (s. 359(1)-(2)): The same two conditions apply to putting the Schedule 9 logo on a food or using it with a food, and to advertising or selling a food that carries it. [1]
  • Single-ingredient foods: The 95% condition only applies to multi-ingredient foods. A single-ingredient food only has to be an organic product. [1]

How the 95% is calculated

  • Section 343 says the organic percentage of a multi-ingredient food "must be determined in accordance with CAN/CGSB-32.310". [2]
  • Section 340 defines that standard as the Canadian General Standards Board's Organic production systems: General principles and management standards, "as amended from time to time". The method therefore follows whichever edition of the standard is current. [7]
  • The SFCR does not set out the method itself. The details, such as which ingredients count toward the total, are in the standard.

Products below 95%

  • Certified products (s. 353(2)): A product that is certified organic but has less than 95% organic content cannot use "organic" on its own or the logo. It may say "organic ingredients", provided that:
    • the percentage of organic content comes immediately before it, rounded down to the nearest whole number (e.g. "83% organic ingredients");
    • the words are in characters of the same height and prominence as the percentage. [3]
  • Lower limit: The SFCR wording does not set a minimum percentage for this claim. The 70% floor I mentioned earlier comes from the CFIA's guidance, not the regulation itself.
  • Products that are not certified organic (s. 353(3)): They may still mark which ingredients are organic in the ingredient list. [3]

Labelling that comes with any organic claim If either type of claim is used (the 95%+ "organic" claim or the "X% organic ingredients" claim), the label must also name the certification body. For multi-ingredient foods shipped between provinces or imported, the ingredient list must identify the organic ingredients (s. 354). [5]

If it would help, I can look for CFIA guidance on how CAN/CGSB-32.310 does the calculation.

Q.03

What has to be on the label of an organic product?

Under Canada's Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), any food labelled "organic", or "X% organic ingredients", must also show the name of the certification body that certified it. A multi-ingredient food must identify its organic ingredients in the list of ingredients. An imported food that carries the Canada Organic logo must also state its country of origin. These rules are in section 354. [5] The organic claim, the origin statement and the organic ingredient markings must appear in both English and French (s. 355). [8]

Approach: I read Division 5 (Labelling and Advertising) and Division 6 (Interprovincial Trade and Import) of Part 13 of the SFCR consolidation, which is current to 2026-09-21. This covers only the organic-specific items. The general food labelling rules in Part 11 of the SFCR also apply, but I did not review them here.

1. The claim itself (s. 353)

  • "Organic" (or a similar term or the logo): allowed only if the food is a certified organic product and, for a multi-ingredient food, at least 95% of its contents are organic. [3][1]
  • "X% organic ingredients": used when organic content is below 95%. The percentage is rounded down and must sit immediately before the words, which must be the same height and prominence as the percentage. [3]

2. Information required with either claim (s. 354)

ItemWhen it applies
(a) Name of the certification body that certified the food as organicFood shipped from one province to another
(b) Name of the certification body, or of the entity accredited by a foreign state under s. 357(1)(a)(ii) or (iii), that certified the foodImported food
(c) The organic contents identified as organic in the list of ingredientsMulti-ingredient food, shipped between provinces or imported
(d) "Product of" / "produit de" immediately before the name of the country of origin, or "Imported" / "importé" close to the logoImported food that carries the Schedule 9 logo

[5]

3. Both official languages (s. 355)

  • What must be bilingual: the claim under s. 353(1) or (2), the origin statement in s. 354(d), and the organic ingredient markings in s. 354(c). [8]
  • When one language is enough:
    • feeds as defined in the Feeds Act;
    • seeds as defined in the Seeds Act;
    • foods for which subsection B.01.012(3), (7) or (11) of the Food and Drug Regulations allows one language. [8]
  • The certifier's name: s. 355 does not list it among the items that must be bilingual.

4. Food shipped between provinces (s. 356)

  • Products with a claim: the food must be an organic product, meet the s. 353 conditions for the claim it uses, and comply with ss. 354 and 355. [9]
  • Multi-ingredient foods that are not organic products: they may still mark which ingredients are organic in the ingredient list. [9]

5. Who may apply the label (s. 342) For food shipped between provinces, only a holder of a certificate granted under section 345 or 348 may package or label it as organic. [6]

I can go through the general Part 11 labelling requirements for prepackaged food next (common name, net quantity, dealer name and address, and so on), if that would help.

Q.04