Under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), any food, seed, or animal feed that is labelled organic is regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Part 13 of the SFCR defines the requirements for the certification and marketing of organic products, both imported and domestic, including specific requirements for organic products to be labelled as organic or that bear the Canada Organic Logo.
Under Part 13, all products must be certified as organic according to the Canadian Organic Standards. These Standards are reviewed every five years, with the most recent edition published in 2020.
The Canada Organic Regime (COR) is designed to build on the existing system of domestic accreditation and certification and was developed to:
- Support further development of the domestic market.
- Protect consumers against misleading or deceptive labelling practices.
- Reduce consumer confusion about the definition of organic.
- Facilitate access of Canadian organic products to foreign markets that require regulatory oversight.
To be certified, operators must have their products certified by a CFIA-accredited certification body (Part 13, Division 4, of SFCR) and develop an organic production system based on the Canadian Organic Standards, as applicable.
Imported or interprovincially traded products making an organic claim must be certified under the
Canada Organic Regime (definition). This includes products that:
- are labelled as "organic"
- bear the Canada organic logo or
- declare "contains x% organic ingredients"
For more information visit the CFIA Labelling for Industry Tool: Organic Claims page
In addition to the requirements above, organic products may also need to meet provincial organic requirements. Please review the links below regarding organic regulation in Canadian provinces for more information:
Resources for CPMA Members:
Additional Resources: