It’s an example of the B.C. government’s new path to organic growth: legislating stricter standards governing “organic” labelling and designations for produce and other food.
That’s good.
But it will remain good only if they avoid duplicating federal rules regulating the country’s food system and organic designations. More layers of government complication and paperwork will discourage more producers from investing in a sector that since 2006 has tripled to be worth an estimated $3 billion annually in Canada.
B.C.’s organic initiative will also be good if its regulations clarify rather than confuse initiatives to improve the quality of the province’s food production system.
It will be of lasting value if its requirements include effective field testing of organic farms and the
facilities of those seeking that certification so consumers can be assured that an “organic” label really denotes a product that’s largely free of pesticides and other toxins.
B.C.’s new legislation as written makes reference to testing and analysis, but details of what the tests and analysis involve and what pesticide thresholds in food will be tolerated have yet to be detailed. Without clarity there, the legislation remains government window dressing that does little to guarantee the integrity of organic designations. As Mischa
Popoff, a former inspector for agencies that certified organic food producers in North America, pointed out in his Canada’s Organic Nightmare report: “organic crops and livestock are not tested in Canada before they are certified, thus making organic certification essentially meaningless.”
That needs to change if consumers are to be provided with a reliable bill of goods when they invest in higher-priced organic products and if B.C. hopes to improve its reputation in the US$63 billion global organic food marketplace.
B.C.’s efforts to shore up organic labelling and marketing requirements deserve applause, but the devil, as always, is in the detail, and that detail will determine whether the applause is warranted for the long term.
