Organic Certification in Canada

You get organic certification in Canada by applying in writing to a certification body accredited by CFIA. That body checks your operation against the Canadian Organic Standards, inspects you on site and issues a certificate. You need this federal certification when your organic-labelled food, feed or seed is sold across provincial lines or imported, or when you want to use the Canada Organic logo. The rules are in Part 13 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR, SOR/2018-108).

When you need it

• Across provinces, imports or the logo: The Canada Organic Regime covers organic claims on products sold between provinces or territories or imported, and products carrying the Canada Organic logo. Products sold only within one province without the logo fall outside it (CFIA, Regulating organic products).
• Packing and labelling: Organic products shipped to another province may only be packaged and labelled by someone holding a certificate under s. 345 or s. 348 ^[1].
• Within a province: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Quebec have their own organic requirements (CFIA). I did not open those provincial rules.

Step by step

1. Pick an accredited certification body. CFIA's register lists 41 of them ^[2]. Seven examples: Ecocert Canada, Pro-Cert Organic Systems, Organisme de Certification Québec Vrai (OCQV), Pacific Agricultural Certification Society (PACS), TransCanada Organic Certification Services, Organic Producers Association of Manitoba (OPAM) and Fraser Valley Organic Producers Association.

   • Each body is assessed and monitored by a conformity verification body. For the bodies listed, that is either the IOAS or the Committee on Accreditation for Evaluation of Quality (CAEQ) ^[2][3].

2. Prepare your system against the standards. The standards are:

   • CAN/CGSB-32.310, general principles and management standards
   • CAN/CGSB-32.311, permitted substances lists
   • CAN/CGSB-32.312 for aquaculture products ^[3]

3. Apply in writing on time. Under s. 344(2) the application must include:

   • the product name
   • the substances and materials you use, and how you use them
   • a detailed description of your methods and control mechanisms
   • the certificate of anyone who packs or labels the product for you
   • for multi-ingredient products, the composition and organic percentage

   On timing, s. 344(3) says you must file within 12 months before the expected sale date. Some products need at least 15 months: maple products, field crops, greenhouse crops grown in permanent in-ground soil, wild crops, and aquaculture products with a production cycle over 12 months ^[4].

4. On-site verification and certificate. The certification body "must conduct an on-site verification and certify" the product if the standards are met. For multi-ingredient products, at least 70% of the contents must be organic. The certificate states whether the product is at least 70% or at least 95% organic (s. 345) ^[5].

5. Contract packers and labellers. If you only package or label organic product, you apply for activity certification under s. 347. That certificate is valid for 12 months (s. 348(3)) ^[6][7].

Keeping the certificate

• Every year: You must resubmit the s. 344(2) information in each 12-month period, no later than six months before that period ends. The body then re-inspects on site within the period (s. 346) ^[8].
• Records: You must keep the documents the standards require (s. 351) ^[9].
• Changes and complaints: You must notify the body "immediately" in writing of any change that could affect certification and of any complaint about organic integrity (s. 352) ^[10].
• Suspension: This follows non-compliance, such as using substances not allowed by the standards or falling below 70% organic content. You first get a written report with a deadline for corrective action, and that deadline can be extended only once ^[11].
• Cancellation: This follows if you have not corrected the problem within 30 days of suspension, or if you keep using organic claims or the logo while suspended ^[12].

Labelling after certification

• "Organic" claims: Allowed only on products of at least 95% organic content. Products between 70% and 95% may use "X% organic ingredients", with the percentage rounded down and printed with equal prominence (s. 353) ^[13].
• Canada Organic logo: Also limited to products of at least 95% organic content (s. 359) ^[14].
• What else the label needs: The name of the certification body and, on multi-ingredient products, the organic ingredients identified in the ingredient list. Imported products with the logo also need "Product of [country]" or "Imported" (s. 354) ^[15].
• Language: Labels must be in both official languages, with limited exceptions (s. 355) ^[16].

If you import instead The product must meet one of these conditions (s. 357):

• certified under s. 345
• certified under an equivalence agreement or arrangement between CFIA and a foreign state, by a body that state accredits

You must keep the organic certificate for five years and produce it if the Minister or an inspector asks ^[17].

Approach: I read Part 13 of the consolidated SFCR, CFIA's register of organic certification bodies and CFIA's page on regulating organic products. I did not read the CAN/CGSB standards or the five provinces' own organic rules.

Sources:

• CFIA, Regulating organic products in Canada