Organic, Certified Organic or Natural?

The E.U. has given Canada an ultimatum. We must establish a national mandatory standard for certified organic food by the end of the year or they will ban our organic exports.

Currently, only two of the 30 bodies that certify farms and manufacturers are recognized by the Standards Council of Canada.

This council is voluntary, so technically there are no penalties for labelling a conventional product as 'organic'.

All of this adds up to the fact that you still can't trust the labels.

And a heavy handed regulatory board is in order.

There is now the Organic Regulatory Committee fronted by Paddy Doherty, and 21 representatives, but whether they can standardize organic food by the year's end is still to be determined.