Canada's Organic Product Regulations (OPR): Expiration of Stream Of Commerce and Enforcement Policy

OTTAWA, March 10, 2011: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is reminding members of the organic sector that the Organic Products Regulations Stream of Commerce and Enforcement Policy expires on June 30, 2011.

Canada's Organic Products Regulations came into effect on June 30, 2009. Since then, the CFIA has been managing the regulations through the Stream of Commerce and Enforcement Policy. This two-year implementation policy was designed to allow producers to make the adjustments required to become fully compliant with the regulations.

The Stream of Commerce and Enforcement Policy will expire on June 30, 2011, and will be replaced by standard CFIA compliance and enforcement activities. These include the following:

• detaining non-compliant products and/or removing them from store shelves
• correcting non-compliant labelling
• returning non-compliant imported products to the country of origin

The Organic Products Regulations have been developed to

• protect consumers against misleading or deceptive labelling practices,
• reduce consumer confusion about the definition of "organic",
• facilitate the access of Canadian organic products to foreign markets that require regulatory oversight, and
• support further development of the domestic market for organic food products.

The regulations set out rigorous standards for certifying products as organic by accredited certification bodies. Products that meet the production requirements and contain at least 95 percent organic content may be labelled as "organic" and may feature the Canada Organic logo.

These regulations apply to both domestic and imported products. Regardless of origin, all products seeking organic certification must meet Canada's standards.

Producers who wish to become certified under the Organic Products Regulations must develop an organic production system based on the Canadian Organic Standards and have their products certified by an accredited certification body. Certified organic products must also bear the name of the certification body that has certified the product as organic.

For more information on Canada's Organic Product Regulations, please visit the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/orgbio/orgbioe.shtml.