What are certified organic products?
Certified organic products are those which have been produced, stored, processed, handled and marketed in accordance with precise technical specifications (standards) and certified as “organic” by a certification body. Once conformity with organic standards has been verified by a certification body, the product is afforded a label. This label will differ depending on the certification body but can be taken as an assurance that the essential elements constituting an “organic” product have been met from the farm to the market. It is important to note that an organic label applies to the production process, ensuring that the product has been produced and processed in an ecologically sound manner. The organic label is therefore a production process claim as opposed to a product quality claim.
Certified organic foods and products are derived from an agronomic production and management system that excludes the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators and livestock feed additives such as antibiotics, as well as ionizing radiation in preservation of food. Organic production systems are annually evaluated by a system of third-party inspection to ensure compliance with ecologically sound management practices that promote and maintain soil productivity and tilth, and biological techniques designed to manage pests and to promote biodiversity. [Certified Organic from Seed to Animal to Abattoir to Point of Sale] The Canadian organic standard prohibits the use of genetically modified or engineered organisms in any production or processing system, sewage sludge as a soil amendment in production systems, or ionizing radiation as a food preservation technique. Adherence of the unique attributes of the organic national standard with existing federal legis
Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people. Certified organic products are those which have been produced, stored, processed, handled and marketed in accordance with precise technical specifications (standards) and certified as “organic” by a certification body. Once conformity with organic standards has been verified by a certification body, the product is afforded a label. This label will differ depending on the certification body but can be taken as an assurance that the essential elements constituting an “organic” product have been met from the farm to the market. It is important to note that a
Certified organic products are those which have been produced, stored, processed, handled and marketed in accordance with precise technical specifications (standards) and certified as “organic” by a certification body. Once a certification body has verified conformity with organic standards, the product can be labeled as such. This label will differ depending on the certification body, but can be taken as an assurance that the essential elements constituting an “organic” product have been met from the farm to the market. It is important to note that an organic label applies to the production process, ensuring that the product has been produced and processed in an ecologically sound manner. The organic label is therefore a production process claim as opposed to a product quality claim.
Certified organic products are those which have been stored, processed, handled, and marketed under precise technical specifications (standards) and certified as “organic” by a certification body. Once a certification body has verified conformity with organic standards, the product can be labeled as such. At the international level, the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (the inter-governmental body that sets standards for all foods) has produced international guidelines for the production, processing, labeling, and marketing of organically produced foods to guide producers and to protect consumers against deception and fraud. These guidelines have been agreed upon by all Member States of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The private sector’s equivalent of the Codex Alimentarius Guidelines are the International Basic standards for Organic Production and Processing created by IFOAM. Codex Alimentarius and IFOAM guidelines include accepted management principles for the production of
