U.S.-Canada Accept Organic Labeling

The United States and Canada agreed Wednesday to accept each other's labeling of certified organic products exported to either country.

A so-called "equivalency agreement" was signed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at the Organic Trade Association annual conference in Chicago. It is the first such agreement in the world for the organic industry and takes effect June 30.

The agreement means that products certified as meeting USDA standards need not go through double-certifying for export into Canada, and products certified by CFIA are accepted without further certification in the U.S. Their labels of certification are accepted in either country.

American exporters of organic products --- ranging from foods and beverages of every description to textiles and paper products for home supplies --- will ship goods without the need for double-approval into a growing Canadian market currently worth about $2 billion, Matthew Holmes, Canadian head of the Organic Trade Association, said. Canadians sell into an older U.S. organic market estimated at $22 billion, he said.

USDA deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan said in a speech to the OTA conference that the agreement is "the first step toward global harmonization of organic standards." Christine Bushway, executive director of OTA in the United States, said consumers would have access to a more diverse and affordable range of organic products.

Contact Courtney Tower at ctower@sympatico.ca.