OTTAWA  |  Nov. 1, 2002 — Many health-conscious Canadians consider organically grown foods a healthy alternative to those grown conventionally.

Organic produce (bottom) may not  look as nice as regular produce (top), but fans say it tastes better.

But not every item in the grocery store that bears an organic sticker is actually certified organic.

In Canada, organic food regulations fall under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's National Standard for Organic Agriculture. The standard, a first in Canada, was ratified in April 1999, revised in 2000, and currently undergoing further revisions.

The standard covers organic agriculture from seeding to sale and sets out minimum standards for organic classification.

Although obeying the standards is not mandatory, the Canadian General Standards Board — a government agency — expects foods identified as organic to comply with its production, processing, packaging, labelling, storing and distribution guidelines, says board spokesperson Fran Gershberg.

Why certify?

Stuart Collins operates Bryson Farms, a certified organic farm in Shawville, Que. He says there are two classes of organic farmers: certified organic and self-proclaimed organic.

"I personally frown on self-proclaimed organics because they haven't gone through the steps necessary to get the certification, and the certification means that someone else has come out there, they've gone through your paperwork, there's an extensive application process, an extensive inspection process," he says.

"And then there are conventional farmers who say they haven't added any pesticides to their crop and somehow that makes them organic, but that's not correct."

Bryson Farms is certified by Organic Crop Producers and Processors Inc. (OCPP), a major organic certifying body accredited by the Standards Council of Canada.

The OCPP uses standards based on the National Standard for Organic Agriculture, including:

• Organic production plan and records
• Ecological soil management
• Crop production standards
• Livestock production standards
• Organic processing and handling standards
• Quality assurance systems
• Labelling standards

"It provides a uniformity amongst producers so that everyone is governed by essentially the same rules. So when the consumer goes and buys a certified organic product, they can be assured that the product was grown organically and has met certain very strict requirements," Collins says. "That's a good thing for the consumer and the grower."

But not all people dealing in organics feel the same way about the certification process. Graham Beck is the owner of Little Stream Bakery, a certified organic artisan bakery in Perth.

"Personally, I'm not a believer that everybody has to be certified. If you're going to resell it, I think you should be," he says. "The reason I say that is it encourages contact with the producer, a sense of community. Because it's not just about the physical plane, it's about being connected with where we are, it's about something beautiful."

High cost

Because organic farmers face different restrictions than conventional farmers, they also have to deal with other problems, such as cost.

Conventionally-grown produce  like this fruit is generally cheaper  than its organic equivalent.

"It's extremely costly. People don't realize that to get these wonderful crops, there's a lot of work that comes to the end product," Collins says. "We don't just throw the seeds into the soil and it grows on its own. It takes a lot of care and a lot of maintenance and a lot of labour."

Some people have recently raised environmental and health concerns about organic agriculture. Some experts say organic farming isn't as good for the environment or consumers as originally thought, and cite land use and bacteria as two major concerns.

Collins agrees. "You do have to use more land because your production is not as great as when you grow conventionally." He says bacteria, particularly E. coli, are also a concern, but are easily prevented.

"We don't want any sort of problems with any of our produce with any of our consumers, which is why we use well water and not stream water," he says. "Who knows what someone has dumped into the creek? And I think using a reliable water source is the key in preventing any sort of bacterial problem."

Insects and weed control are also costly, labour-intensive, and time-consuming to deal with while complying with organic standards, because they usually have to be tackled by hand.

Healthy eating

But for people like Collins and Beck, the advantages of organic agriculture for consumers far outweigh the concerns.

More and more Canadians are shopping for produce at organic farmers' markets.

"It tastes better, it's better for them, and it's healthy eating," Collins says. "I think they feel better when they eat well — we all do. If we eat something delicious, we feel better afterwards."

Many consumers eat organic foods because of allergies.

"There are people that have certain health concerns, such as allergic reactions to conventionally grown food, that only eat organic," Collins says. "Those people can't eat conventional food, so they are very careful about not eating anything that isn't organic."

Beck says organic food is about more than just farming without chemicals.

"It's based on trust. Again, it's a sense of community, a sense of connection that you don't get from a logo."