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T he Canadian organic sector has experienced rapid growth for the past decade and is well positioned for continued ex-pansion. The Canada Organic Trade Association’s (COTA) market data shows over 5,000 certified organic producers and manufacturers oper-ate in Canada, with domestic sales now worth over $4-billion per year.
COTA leads the national sector in co-ordinated media relations and positive coverage for organic. This special feature – produced in col-laboration with COTA – is timed to publish during Organic Week. Held from September 19 to 27, 2015, Organic Week, the largest annual celebration of organic food, farming and products across the country, is a partnership between Canadian Or-ganic Growers, the Canadian Health Food Association and COTA.
Among its topics, this feature will discuss:
Think before you eat. Canadian consumers are becoming more engaged in how their
food is made. What do they need to know about organic? How are organic products helping to create healthy environments, communities and people?
A diverse, robust market. Canadian organic sales have more than tripled since 2006, and are more than just food. What has fuelled this growth? And where is it headed?
Understanding the organic differ-ence. Creating organic foods means going beyond conventional farming methods. How are organic products helping to create healthy environ-ments, communities and people?
A label backed by law. The official Canada Organic logo is backed by government rules and regulations. What is the role of the CFIA in help-ing to ensure organic standards are followed – from the field to the retail store?
GMO update. Like it or not, ge-netically engineered foods are here. What is the update on the current GMO debate in Canada? How is organic addressing consumer con-cerns regarding GMOs?
Putting a face on our organic pro-ducers. Behind Canada’s certified organic foods are people commit-ted to producing foods in a better way. Meet some of these farmers and industry leaders embracing a sustainable alternative.
SEE PAGE 2 FOR PARTNER PACKAGES >
A SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP
We’ve had a long history of producing informative reports on organic foods. Select a link at right to launch an online pdf version of a previous report.
! NEXT STEPS?Contact your Globe and Mail Account Manager, or Project Manager RICHARD DEACON at 604.631.6636, or via e-mail at rdeacon@globeandmail.com
Food movements driving market shiftConsumers ask more questions and choose organic
By Matthew HolmesExecutive Director, Canada OrganicTrade Association
here does your food comefrom? It’s a loaded ques-tion. Food has become
intensely social and political: lessabout the egg than the hen thatlaid it and the farmer who raisedthe hen.This shift isn’t just aboutwhere you shop or what youchoose to buy. The business newsfocuses on Canada’s mergingmega-grocers; our smartphonesoffer us countless food-themedapps; reality TV serves up moretypes of cooking shows than everimaginable; books likeWheatBelly and The Omnivore’s Dilemmaare bestsellers. And who isn’ta little tired of seeing tweets ofeveryone’s meals?Food has become a culturaldriver in North America. We’re be-ing asked to think about our fooda lot more, to think before we eat,and that is leading people downtwo very different paths.There’s been a clear movementto create connections and com-munity around food. The UnitedStates Department of Agriculturetracks the number of domestic
farmers’ markets, and countedover 8,100 in 2013. Comparethis to just over 3,000 markets10 years ago, and it is clear thatsomething important is happen-ing. In British Columbia, there’sbeen a 147 per cent growth infarmers’ market sales since 2006,and a five-fold increase in organicsales at those markets.But just as the “foodie”move-ment is on the ascendant, thereseems also to be a counter-move-ment, one long championed byadolescent boys and the corpora-tions that excel at hyping “super-sized” death-defyingmeals.The source of this summer’sunfortunate outbreak of food poi-soning at the CNE in Toronto, theCronut burger, is but one of manyover-the-top, highly processedand fundamentally unhealthyfoods beingmarketed today. Therecipe seems to be equal partsbragging rights, indulgence anda willful ignorance of what we’reactually eating.But organic foodmarkettrends, the continued popularityof the locavoremovement andthe success of themany chefswho embrace local, seasonal andorganic food demonstrate thatmost Canadians are eager to knowmore about their food.It’s an aspiration that can provechallenging.First, think about where yourfood comes from. If somethingis grown “close to home” does itmeanmuch? It might; it might
not. Knowing where somethingwas grown andmade is certainlythe first step to understandingmore about the product and thepractices behind it.But knowing where your food israised doesn’t tell you everythingyou need to know. Do your localfarms use pesticides and herbi-cides on your vegetables that youwouldn’t use on your own frontlawn? Do they raise their animals
in conditions that would be un-conscionable for your family pets?What about packaged foods: dotheir ingredients include canola,soy, corn or sugar? Are they friedin “vegetable” or canola oil? If the
answer is yes, unless the food iscertified organic, you’re almostguaranteed to be eating geneti-cally modified organisms (GMOs).That’s your choice, but chancesare that the information wasn’tdisclosed on the package, andwhat kind of choice is that?How is your food grown andmade? Do the farms use sewagesludge for fertilizer? Do they usepesticides that are known toxins,hormone-disruptors and neuro-development inhibitors? Arethe animals kept in cages awayfrom the sun and fresh air? Areotherwise healthy animals fed an-tibiotics to promote weight gain?Are products made with artificialflavours, preservatives, colours,nitrites, GMOs or other new (andunpronounceable) additives and“ingredients”?It is sometimes very difficult tofind the answers to these ques-tions. But if your food is organic,you can rest assured that Canada’sgovernment-regulated organicstandards and inspections forbidany of these practices on or-ganic farms or additives in organicproducts. And the government’s“Canada Organic” logomakes iteasy to spot them.So when you remind yourselfto think before you eat, as manyof us are doing these days, thinkCanada Organic. Ninety-eight percent of Canadians polled thinkthey will increase ormaintaintheir current purchases of organicthis year. What do you think?
Sales
Estimated value of total Canadian organic sales in 2012
Sales Value($ Millions)
MarketShare
Total Organic Food& Beverage(excluding alcohol) 2,978.6 1.7%
Organic Alcohol 135.0 0.67%
Organic Supplements 34.4 1.25%
Organic Fibre (linen & clothing) 24.2 0.15%
Organic Personal Care 41.1 0.45%
Organic Pet Food 4.1 0.25%
Organic Household Products 8.2 0.2%
Organic Flowers 3.0 0.1%
Organic Exports fromCanada 458.0
Total Canada Organic Market: $3,686.6M
SpecialOrganic Week, September 21-28, 2013
This report was produced by RandallAnthony Communications Inc. (www.randallanthony.com) in conjunction with the advertising department of The Globe and Mail. Richard Deacon, National Business Development Manager, rdeacon@globeandmail.com.
ONLINE?
For more information, visitglobeandmail.com/organicweek.
COTA 1 • AN INFORMATION FEATURE FOR CANADA ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION the globe and ma il • mondaY, september 23 , 201 3
organicfood, farming & products
in Canada
Celebrate
@OrganicWeek /OrganicWeek
organicweek.ca September 21-28, 2013
Canadian Organic GrowersCultivons Biologique Canada
COG
ThinkCanadaOrganic.ca
eat Canadian Organic food?• It’s great-tasting and nutritious
• It reduces our exposure to pesticides and GMOs
• It’s produced and certified to meet nationalOrganic standards
• It’s healthy for soil, plants and animals, & reducesour carbon footprint!
hat started over a coupledrinks one night duringthe recession has turned
into a nationwide celebrationwith an ever-growing number ofparticipants from all walks of life,says Matthew Holmes, executivedirector of the Canada OrganicTrade Association (COTA).Canada’s National Organic
Week, held from September 20 to28, is the largest annual celebra-tion of organic food, farmingand products across the country.Organized by COTA, CanadianOrganic Growers (COG) and theCanadian Health Food Associa-tion (CHFA), the event’s popu-larity reflects the high regardCanadians have for organic, saysHolmes.“Organic Week started in late
2008,” he recalls. “A colleaguefrom Canadian Organic Growers(COG) and I decided we neededa focus point for the brands and
consumers that were behindorganic and were driving thegrowth of the market.”At the time, there wasn’t
much data available, accordingto Holmes, who knew that theorganic market was growing butdidn’t have much information onwho was buying organic. “Evenwhile people were cutting backand penny-pinching, they wereincreasingly choosing to buyquality food for their families,”he says.In the five years since the
inception of Organic Week, theorganic market has seen sub-stantial growth. Thanks to theincreasing demand for organicproducts, approximately 5,000certified organic producers andmanufacturers are now operat-ing in Canada. Organic foodsales reached $3.5-billion in 2012,three times what was sold in2006, making Canada the world’s
fourth largest organic market.The numbers speak for them-
selves, says Ashley St Hilaire,COG’s acting executive director,who adds another statistic: whilethe numbers of total farms havedeclined by 17 per cent from 2001to 2011, organic farms have grownby an impressive 66.5 per cent.“Organic farming is helping to
revive our rural communities,”she says. “It has attracted a wholenew diverse generation of farmersin Canada, many of whom didn’teven grow up in rural settings.More andmore people are choos-ing to farm organically becausethey want to be part of an amaz-ing organic community and theyhave an unwavering belief in theprinciples of organic production.”Another development worthy
of celebration is the growingawareness that sustainably grownorganic food benefits our environ-ment, families and communities,
says St Hilaire. “Canadians havebecome highly literate consumers,who are very conscious of whatthey feed themselves and theirfamilies.”CHFA president Helen Long
agrees. “Canadians can feel con-fident that when they purchase aproduct with the Canada organiclogo, they are not only investingin their health, but also support-ing sustainable environmentallyfriendly practices and animal wel-fare,” she says, adding that withover 1,000members across Cana-da dedicated to natural health andorganic products, CHFA is proudto once again support OrganicWeek and shine a spotlight onthe important impact the organicindustry has for Canadians.The public’s response has been
amazing, according to Holmes.“It’s incredible to see the amountof social media and supportbehind Organic Week on Facebook
and Twitter. We love hearing fromCanadians, who are planningevents, telling us how they’recelebrating and what they’recooking, or questions they haveabout organic farming,” he says.“Inmany ways, it feels like we’vereally broken through this year.Withmajor retailers like Loblawand Sobeys participating and hun-dreds of independent grocers andnatural health food stores acrossthe country, OrganicWeek is reallygoing to touch Canadians in everypart of the country.”St Hilaire sees the enthusiastic
endorsement of this year’s eventas a testament to the strength ofthe Canadian organic market. “Ithink what people are looking for– and what Organic Week offersthem – is a chance to connectwith the people who grow andmake their food, to knowwherethe food came from and how itwas made.”
SpecialMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 , 2014 COTA 1
AN INFORMATION FEATURE FOR CANADA ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION (COTA)
Organic Week September 20-28, 2014 Visit globeandmail.com/organicweek
Celebrating organic
This report was produced by RandallAnthony Communications Inc. (www.randallanthony.com) in conjunction with the advertising department of The Globe and Mail. Richard Deacon, National Business Development Manager, rdeacon@globeandmail.com.
What’s your poison?Makingsound choices in a chemical-ridden world. COTA 2
Bitter harvest: Discussingconcerns that GMOs can putorganic crops at risk. COTA 4
Boosting research: Substantialgrant helping organic keep upwith demand. COTA 5
Yummy hospital food: Bringinglocal and organic foods intoinstitutional kitchens. COTA 6
Higher yields: Supportingorganic farming in developingcountries. COTA 7
INSIDE
NINTH ANNUAL ORGANIC OKANAGANFESTIVAL (OOF)Kelowna, BCSeptember 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Most comprehensive (and enjoyable) greenliving exposition in the Okanagan Valley.
GMO OMGhttp://gmofilm.comOngoingDirector Jeremy Seifert’s award-winningdocumentary about what’s on our plates.Canadian release sponsored by Nature’s Path.
ORGANIC WEEK AT L’ACADIE VINEYARDSGaspereau, NSSeptember 20 to 28, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Visit the first and only certified organic wineryin Nova Scotia and learn about organic grapegrowing and winemaking.
The Canadian organicmarket is worth
$3.5-billionper year
Canadian organicexports are valued at
$458-millionMore than20 millionCanadians buy organicproducts weekly
There are nearly
5,000certified organicfarms, processorsand handlersnationwide
There are
900,000hectares of organicfarmlandacrossCanada
GET INSPIRED!National Organic Week eventsare happening all across the country.Visit organicweek.ca to find onein your area.
Ontario’s 1st Certified Organic retailer.Celebrating our 31st Anniversary!
Specializing in local, organic,Non-GMO and environmentallysafe products.
Natural Food Market416.466.2129
Wholistic Dispensary416.466.8432
348 Danforth Avenuethebigcarrot.ca
JOIN THESOLOCALMOVEMENT.
Learn more at SOLCUISINE.COM/SOLOCAL
SOLocal Ontario Organic Tofu is acomplete protein. It’s a great alternative,offering 10g of protein per serving.Ask for it when you go out to dine orin your local supermarket.
P U B L I S H I N G : S E P T E M B E R 22, 2015 S PAC E C LO S I N G : AU G U S T 11, 2015 M AT E R I A L D E A D L I N E : S E P T E M B E R 15, 2015
Organic foods
Sources: NADbank 2013 48 Mkts A18+; PMB Fall 2014 A18+; comScore & Omniture 3 mos av to September 2014
NEWSPAPER • WEBSITE • MAGAZINE • MOBILE • VIDEO • EVENTS
898,000 WEEKDAY PRINT/PDF READERS1,080,000 SATURDAY PRINT/PDF READERS
967,000 REPORT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE READERS
800,000 STYLE ADVISOR READERS
4.1 MILLION UNIQUE VISITORSOVER 3 MILLION MONTHLY MOBILE READERS
1.6 MILLION VIDEOS VIEWED MONTHLY108,000 GLOBE RECOGNITION MEMBERS –
100 ANNUAL EVENTS/OFFERS
REACHING MORE THAN 6 MILLION CANADIANS EACH WEEK
A CUSTOMIZED DIGITAL HUB – WITH APROMOTIONAL CO-BRANDED SCROLLER UNIT – WHICH WILL BE USEDTO PROMOTE THE SPECIAL FEATURE ATGLOBEANDMAIL.COM
A SPONSOR CONTENT FEATURE IN CANADAS #1 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER AND #1 NEWS WEBSITE
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7z7kvqhxl16phfd/Organics%20Sept.%2023.13.pdfhttps://www.dropbox.com/s/2kti75a2agdj8g9/Organic%20Sept.%2022.14%20.pdf?dl=0
hen Rachel Carson pub-
lished Silent Spring 50 years
ago this week, she focused
attention on the dangers of
pes-
ticide use. Today, many cons
um-
ers choose organic foods du
e to
concerns about the environ
men-
tal impact of conventional f
ood
production. Others choose o
rganic
for health reasons, an appr
oach
supported by a June 2012 re
port
from the Ontario College of
Family
Physicians that recommend
ed
the public reduce its exposu
re to
pesticides whenever possib
le.
After Gail Gordon Oliver wa
s
diagnosed with breast canc
er in
2001, she shifted to organic
foods
as part of her recovery pro
cess.
“Before my diagnosis, I coo
ked
good, healthy food for my f
amily
but I did not pay much atten
tion
to its source,” she says. “We
also
ate our share of junk food a
nd fast
food.”Since then th
e Toronto resident
has followed an organic die
t as
much as possible. “I don’t k
now
if switching to organically g
rown
and raised meats and produ
ce has
made a difference in my ph
ysical
health” says the founder of
Edible
Toronto, a print and online
publi-
cation, “but mentally it has
had a
huge impact, which can be
just as
important.”Ms. Gordon O
liver tries to buy
locally, but cautions shopp
ers not
to assume that because pro
duce
is sold at a farmer’s market
it has
been grown organically. “I a
m a
strong advocate for local foo
d, but
I’m cautious with my purcha
s-
ing. I don’t buy local strawb
erries
and peaches, for instance, u
nless
they’re organic.”
A health concern also motiv
ated
Tammy Ingrao to adopt an
organic
food lifestyle. Last Septemb
er, her
son, now four, was found to
be
allergic to gluten, eggs and
dairy
products. “He was very sma
ll for
his age and we realized som
ething
was wrong,” says the medic
al sec-
retary from Cambridge, On
tario.
This news meant a radical,
and
challenging, transformation
in the
family’s eating habits – avo
iding
packaged foods and restau
rants
in favour of making meals f
rom
organic ingredients.
Although the results were
worth it (her son is doing m
uch
better), Ms. Ingrao says that
going
organic takes extra time an
d ef-
fort, especially for someon
e with
two young children. “I have
to
plan meals days ahead and
make
sure I have the foods on ha
nd to
prepare what we’re going t
o eat.”
Contrary to popular thinki
ng,
she says, eating organic is n
ot
necessarily harder on the fa
mily
budget. Although the food
itself
can be more expensive, “be
cause
we rarely eat out it’s actual
ly less
costly.”Since switchin
g to organic, Ms.
Ingrao is far more aware of w
hat
she eats. “Probably 99 per c
ent of
people don’t read or under
stand
food labels. Nor do they kn
ow
how their food is grown, ho
w
much land it took, what’s i
n it.
I didn’t even know there wa
s a
problem with our food befo
re.”
Margaret Tourond-Townso
n, a
retired teacher and vice cha
ir of
Canadian Organic Growers
Otta-
wa, also became interested in
or-
ganic food for health reason
s. She
helped launch a pilot progra
m
called Senior Organic Gard
eners
(SOG) to encourage seniors
to
grow and enjoy organic pro
duce.
In its first phase, SOG spoke
at
two retirement homes abou
t the
many benefits of organic fo
od and
helped residents plant orga
nic
gardens.“There were m
ixed results be-
cause of many factors,” she
says,
“but overall it was a great su
ccess.
We are now looking for fund
ing to
expand.”One of her m
ost rewarding
moments was when a seni
or was
planting seedlings. “Tom h
ad gar-
dened before, but he had h
and-
mobility issues and was slow
er
than the others. He was cal
led
for lunch before he finished
and
I suggested he stop and eat.
He
looked me in the eyes and
said,
‘This is a feast for me. I’ll ea
t later.’
It was wonderful. I just sat
back
for a minute and said to my
self,
this is why I’m doing this.”
Health and environmental c
oncerns driving demand
Specialw e d n e S d
AY, S e p t em b e r 2 6 ,
2 01 2
page 1An informAtion feA
ture
wouldn’t make wine
any other way,” says
Bruce Ewert, referring
to the organic wine he prod
uces
at L’Acadie Vineyards in No
va
Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. “
There
are so many chemicals in o
ur diet
and I don’t want to add any
more
through my products.”
Mr. Ewert is one of a growin
g
number of Canadian winem
ak-
ers dedicated to making 10
0 per
cent organic wine. “At first w
e
sold mostly to farmers’ mar
kets,”
he says. “Now we see a lot o
f
growth in liquor retail store
s as
well. There’s more enthusias
m
and more demand for it in N
ova
Scotia, no question.”
Eric von Krosigk, the winem
ak-
er and viticulturist at Summ
erhill
Pyramid Winery in B.C.’s O
kana-
gan Valley, oversaw the win
ery’s
transition to certified organ
ic
status in 2006. “We trumpet
how
great our wine tastes and a
dd, oh
by the way, it’s also certified
100
per cent organic.”
Organic wine, which shoul
d
have an accredited certifier
’s
logo or name on it, is made
from
grapes grown organically. T
he
wine-making process must
also
follow Canada’s strict natio
nal
organic standards that cove
r
everything from what is use
d to
clean the equipment to pro
hibit-
ing many common additive
s.
“The inspectors put us und
er
a microscope and pull us a
part,”
says Mr. von Krosigk. “They
come
in and ask who picked your
grapes? Who is the driver o
f your
truck? Where are the bin ta
gs?
They want to know everyth
ing
that went into the making o
f the
wine. It’s an incredibly trans
par-
ent process.”Bill Redelmei
er, who with his
wife Marilyn owns Southbro
ok
Vineyards in Ontario’s Nia
gara
wine region, uses the princi
ples of
biodynamics to produce or
ganic
wines. Biodynamic winema
king
applies a holistic approach
to the
soil, plants and animals inv
olved
in the growing process.
“We harvest wine depend-
ing on the phases of the m
oon,”
he says. “The sprays we use
in
the vineyards are homeopa
thic
herbal teas. We have rumin
ants,
mostly sheep, in the vineya
rd (for
manure) because their dige
stive
process is gentle and what c
omes
out the back end is basically
the
same stuff that goes in the f
ront
end.”No matter ho
w the wine is
made, what matters most is
taste.
“I don’t think there’s an org
anic
wine taste,” says Mr. Ewert. “
I be-
lieve that wine made organ
ically
has a better expression of i
ts ter-
roir. The flavours are more
clear.”
“Taste is subjective,” says M
r.
Redelmeier, “although orga
n-
ics score on average one or
two
points higher in tests. The b
eauty
of organic wine, however, is
that
you know what you’re drin
king
has no chemicals in it. And
that
the land it was made on is b
eing
farmed in a sustainable way
.”
photo: istockphoto.com
profile
Organic wine producers br
ing new meaning to green
grapes
Natural, sustainable or or
ganic – what’s the differen
ce?
They might seem like synon
yms, but there can be a signi
ficant difference be-
tween food labelled ‘natural,
’ ‘sustainable’ or ‘organic.’
‘Natural’ food can easily con
tain genetically modified ing
redients or be
grown with pesticides. ‘Susta
inable’ food, like ‘local’ food
, can mean many
things to many people, and
has no set definition or requ
irement to meet spe-
cific criteria set by governme
nt or other third parties.
In Canada, organic food mus
t meet stringent national reg
ulations and is
subject to independent inspe
ctions overseen by the Cana
dian Food Inspection
Agency before it can be labe
lled organic and carry the Ca
nada Organic logo.
Bruce Ewert of L’Acadie Vin
eyards,
with a bottle of his organic
brut.
photo: Wines of nova s
cotia
The organic sTandard
Going organic
“Probably 99 per cent
of people don’t read or
understand food labels.
Nor do they know how
their food is grown,
how much land it took,
what’s in it.”
Tammy Ingrao
is an organic food convert
hen Rachel Carson pub-
lished Silent Spring 50 years
ago this week, she focused
attention on the dangers of
pes-
ticide use. Today, many cons
um-
ers choose organic foods du
e to
concerns about the environ
men-
tal impact of conventional f
ood
production. Others choose o
rganic
for health reasons, an appr
oach
supported bya June 2012 re
port
from the Ontario College of
Family
Physicians that recommend
ed
the public reduce its exposu
re to
pesticides whenever possib
le.
After Gail Gordon Oliver wa
s
diagnosed with breast canc
er in
2001, she shifted to organic
foods
as part of herrecovery proc
ess.
“Beforemy diagnosis, I coo
ked
good, healthyfood for my fa
mily
but I did not paymuch atten
tion
to its source,”she says. “We
also
ate our shareof junk food a
nd fast
food.”Since then th
e Toronto resident
has followedan organic die
t as
much as possible. “I don’t k
now
if switching toorganically gr
own
and raisedmeats and produ
ce has
made a difference inmy ph
ysical
health” says the founder of
Edible
Toronto, a print and online
publi-
cation, “butmentally it has
had a
huge impact,which can be
just as
important.”Ms. Gordon O
liver tries to buy
locally, but cautions shopp
ers not
to assume that because pro
duce
is sold at a farmer’s market
it has
been grown organically. “I a
m a
strong advocate for local foo
d, but
I’m cautious withmy purcha
s-
ing. I don’t buy local strawb
erries
and peaches,for instance, u
nless
they’re organic.”
A health concern alsomotiv
ated
Tammy Ingrao to adopt an
organic
food lifestyle.Last Septemb
er, her
son, now four, was found to
be
allergic to gluten, eggs and
dairy
products. “Hewas very sma
ll for
his age andwe realized som
ething
was wrong,” says themedic
al sec-
retary fromCambridge, On
tario.
This newsmeant a radical,
and
challenging, transformation
in the
family’s eating habits – avo
iding
packaged foods and restau
rants
in favour ofmakingmeals f
rom
organic ingredients.
Although theresults were
worth it (herson is doingm
uch
better), Ms. Ingrao says that
going
organic takesextra time an
d ef-
fort, especially for someon
e with
two young children. “I have
to
planmeals days ahead and
make
sure I have the foods on ha
nd to
prepare whatwe’re going to
eat.”
Contrary to popular thinki
ng,
she says, eating organic is n
ot
necessarily harder on the fa
mily
budget. Although the food
itself
can bemore expensive, “be
cause
we rarely eatout it’s actual
ly less
costly.”Since switchin
g to organic, Ms.
Ingrao is far more aware of w
hat
she eats. “Probably 99 per c
ent of
people don’tread or under
stand
food labels. Nor do they kn
ow
how their food is grown, ho
w
much land ittook, what’s i
n it.
I didn’t even know there wa
s a
problemwithour food befo
re.”
Margaret Tourond-Townso
n, a
retired teacher and vice cha
ir of
Canadian Organic Growers
Otta-
wa, also became interested in
or-
ganic food forhealth reason
s. She
helped launcha pilot progra
m
called SeniorOrganic Gard
eners
(SOG) to encourage seniors
to
grow and enjoy organic pro
duce.
In its first phase, SOG spoke
at
two retirement homes abou
t the
many benefits of organic fo
od and
helped residents plant orga
nic
gardens.“There werem
ixed results be-
cause of many factors,” she
says,
“but overall itwas a great su
ccess.
We are now looking for fund
ing to
expand.”One of herm
ost rewarding
moments was when a seni
or was
planting seedlings. “Tom h
ad gar-
dened before, but he had h
and-
mobility issues and was slow
er
than the others. He was cal
led
for lunch before he finished
and
I suggested hestop and eat.
He
lookedme inthe eyes and s
aid,
‘This is a feastfor me. I’ll eat
later.’
It was wonderful. I just sat
back
for aminute and said tomy
self,
this is why I’mdoing this.”
Health and environmental c
oncerns driving demand
SpecialWEDNESD
AY, SEPTEMBER 26 ,
201 2
PAGE 1AN INFORMATION FEA
TURE
wouldn’t make wine
any other way,” says
Bruce Ewert, referring
to the organicwine he prod
uces
at L’Acadie Vineyards in No
va
Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. “
There
are somany chemicals in o
ur diet
and I don’t want to add any
more
throughmy products.”
Mr. Ewert is one of a growin
g
number of Canadian winem
ak-
ers dedicatedtomaking 100
per
cent organic wine. “At first w
e
soldmostly tofarmers’ mark
ets,”
he says. “Nowwe see a lot o
f
growth in liquor retail store
s as
well. There’s more enthusias
m
andmore demand for it in N
ova
Scotia, no question.”
Eric von Krosigk, the winem
ak-
er and viticulturist at Summ
erhill
PyramidWinery in B.C.’s O
kana-
gan Valley, oversaw the win
ery’s
transition to certified organ
ic
status in 2006. “We trumpet
how
great our wine tastes and a
dd, oh
by the way, it’s also certified
100
per cent organic.”
Organic wine, which shoul
d
have an accredited certifier
’s
logo or nameon it, is made
from
grapes grownorganically. T
he
wine-makingprocess must
also
follow Canada’s strict natio
nal
organic standards that cove
r
everything fromwhat is use
d to
clean the equipment to pro
hibit-
ingmany common additive
s.
“The inspectors put us und
er
amicroscopeand pull us ap
art,”
says Mr. von Krosigk. “They
come
in and ask who picked your
grapes? Whois the driver o
f your
truck?Whereare the bin ta
gs?
They want toknow everyth
ing
that went intothemaking o
f the
wine. It’s an incredibly trans
par-
ent process.”Bill Redelmei
er, who with his
wife Marilyn owns Southbro
ok
Vineyards inOntario’s Nia
gara
wine region, uses the princi
ples of
biodynamicsto produce or
ganic
wines. Biodynamic winema
king
applies a holistic approach
to the
soil, plants and animals inv
olved
in the growing process.
“We harvest wine depend-
ing on the phases of them
oon,”
he says. “Thesprays we use
in
the vineyardsare homeopa
thic
herbal teas. We have rumin
ants,
mostly sheep, in the vineya
rd (for
manure) because their dige
stive
process is gentle and what c
omes
out the back end is basically
the
same stuff that goes in the f
ront
end.”Nomatter ho
w the wine is
made, whatmatters most is
taste.
“I don’t thinkthere’s an org
anic
wine taste,” says Mr. Ewert. “
I be-
lieve that winemade organ
ically
has a better expression of i
ts ter-
roir. The flavours aremore
clear.”
“Taste is subjective,” says M
r.
Redelmeier, “although orga
n-
ics score on average one or
two
points higherin tests. The b
eauty
of organic wine, however, is
that
you knowwhat you’re drin
king
has no chemicals in it. And
that
the land it wasmade on is b
eing
farmed in a sustainable way
.”
PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
PROFILE
Organic wineproducers bri
ng new meaning to green g
rapes
Natural, sustainable or or
ganic – what’s the differen
ce?
Theymight seem like synon
yms, but therecan be a signifi
cant difference be-
tween food labelled ‘natural,
’ ‘sustainable’or ‘organic.’
‘Natural’ foodcan easily con
tain genetically modified ing
redients or be
grownwith pesticides. ‘Susta
inable’ food, like ‘local’ food
, canmeanmany
things tomany people, and
has no set definition or requ
irement tomeet spe-
cific criteria set by governme
nt or other third parties.
In Canada, organic foodmus
tmeet stringent national reg
ulations and is
subject to independent inspe
ctions overseen by the Cana
dian Food Inspection
Agency beforeit can be label
led organic and carry the Ca
nada Organiclogo.
Bruce Ewert of L’Acadie Vin
eyards,
with a bottleof his organic
brut.
PHOTO: WINES OF NOVA S
COTIA
THE ORGANICSTANDARD
Health and environmental c
oncerns driving demand
Going organic“Probably 99
per cent
of people don’t read or
understand food labels.
Nor do they know how
their food isgrown,
how much land it took,
what’s in it.”
Tammy Ingrao
is an organic food convert
organicfood, farming
& products
in Canada
Celebrate
www.organicweek.ca Se
ptember 22-29, 2012
Canadian Organic Grower
s
Cultivons Biologique Cana
daCOG
Find out more about special
events, promotions & contests
across Canada!
Facebook (/organicweek)
Twitter (@organicweek)
PRINT + DIGITAL Print - Your 1/8 page color ad appearing on the right hand page of the newspaper feature.
Your logo appearing as an official COTA partner in the COTA ad and the inclusion of a quote in the editorial component of the special feature. Ask us about larger format ad sizes.
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Organic foodsP U B L I S H I N G : S E P T E M B E R 22, 2015 S PAC E C LO S I N G : AU G U S T 11, 2015 M AT E R I A L D E A D L I N E : S E P T E M B E R 15, 2015
A SPONSOR CONTENT FEATURE IN CANADAS #1 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER AND #1 NEWS WEBSITE
hat started over a coupledrinks one night duringthe recession has turnedinto a nationwide celebrationwith an ever-growing number ofparticipants from all walks of life,says Matthew Holmes, executivedirector of the Canada OrganicTrade Association (COTA).Canada’s National OrganicWeek, held from September 20 to28, is the largest annual celebra-tion of organic food, farmingand products across the country.Organized by COTA, CanadianOrganic Growers (COG) and theCanadian Health Food Associa-tion (CHFA), the event’s popu-larity reflects the high regardCanadians have for organic, saysHolmes.“Organic Week started in late
2008,” he recalls. “A colleaguefrom Canadian Organic Growers(COG) and I decided we neededa focus point for the brands and
consumers that were behindorganic and were driving thegrowth of the market.”At the time, there wasn’tmuch data available, accordingto Holmes, who knew that theorganic market was growing butdidn’t have much information onwho was buying organic. “Evenwhile people were cutting backand penny-pinching, they wereincreasingly choosing to buyquality food for their families,”he says.In the five years since theinception of Organic Week, the
organic market has seen sub-stantial growth. Thanks to theincreasing demand for organicproducts, approximately 5,000certified organic producers andmanufacturers are now operat-ing in Canada. Organic foodsales reached $3.5-billion in 2012,three times what was sold in2006, making Canada the world’s
fourth largest organic market.The numbers speak for them-selves, says Ashley St Hilaire,COG’s acting executive director,who adds another statistic: whilethe numbers of total farms havedeclined by 17 per cent from 2001to 2011, organic farms have grownby an impressive 66.5 per cent.“Organic farming is helping torevive our rural communities,”she says. “It has attracted a wholenew diverse generation of farmersin Canada, many of whom didn’teven grow up in rural settings.More andmore people are choos-ing to farm organically becausethey want to be part of an amaz-ing organic community and theyhave an unwavering belief in theprinciples of organic production.”Another development worthy
of celebration is the growingawareness that sustainably grownorganic food benefits our environ-ment, families and communities,
says St Hilaire. “Canadians havebecome highly literate consumers,who are very conscious of whatthey feed themselves and theirfamilies.”CHFA president Helen Long
agrees. “Canadians can feel con-fident that when they purchase aproduct with the Canada organiclogo, they are not only investingin their health, but also support-ing sustainable environmentallyfriendly practices and animal wel-fare,” she says, adding that withover 1,000members across Cana-da dedicated to natural health andorganic products, CHFA is proudto once again support OrganicWeek and shine a spotlight onthe important impact the organicindustry has for Canadians.The public’s response has beenamazing, according to Holmes.“It’s incredible to see the amountof social media and supportbehind Organic Week on Facebook
and Twitter. We love hearing fromCanadians, who are planningevents, telling us how they’recelebrating and what they’recooking, or questions they haveabout organic farming,” he says.“Inmany ways, it feels like we’vereally broken through this year.Withmajor retailers like Loblawand Sobeys participating and hun-dreds of independent grocers andnatural health food stores acrossthe country, OrganicWeek is reallygoing to touch Canadians in everypart of the country.”St Hilaire sees the enthusiasticendorsement of this year’s eventas a testament to the strength ofthe Canadian organic market. “Ithink what people are looking for– and what Organic Week offersthem – is a chance to connectwith the people who grow andmake their food, to knowwherethe food came from and how itwas made.”
Special
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 , 2014
COTA 1
AN INFORMATION FEATURE FOR CANADA ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION (COTA)
Organic Week September 20-28, 2014Visit globeandmail.com/organicweek
Celebrating organic
This report was produced by RandallAnthony Communications Inc. (www.randallanthony.com) in conjunction with the advertising department of The Globe and Mail. Richard Deacon, National Business Development Manager, rdeacon@globeandmail.com.
What’s your poison?Makingsound choices in a chemical-ridden world. COTA 2
Bitter harvest: Discussingconcerns that GMOs can putorganic crops at risk. COTA 4
Boosting research: Substantialgrant helping organic keep upwith demand. COTA 5
Yummy hospital food: Bringinglocal and organic foods intoinstitutional kitchens. COTA 6
Higher yields: Supportingorganic farming in developingcountries. COTA 7
INSIDE
NINTH ANNUAL ORGANIC OKANAGANFESTIVAL (OOF)Kelowna, BCSeptember 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Most comprehensive (and enjoyable) green
living exposition in the Okanagan Valley.
GMO OMGhttp://gmofilm.comOngoingDirector Jeremy Seifert’s award-winningdocumentary about what’s on our plates.Canadian release sponsored by Nature’s Path.
ORGANIC WEEK AT L’ACADIE VINEYARDSGaspereau, NSSeptember 20 to 28, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Visit the first and only certified organic wineryin Nova Scotia and learn about organic grapegrowing and winemaking.
The Canadian organicmarket is worth$3.5-billionper yearCanadian organicexports are valued at$458-million
More than20 millionCanadians buy organicproducts weekly
There are nearly5,000certified organicfarms, processorsand handlersnationwide
There are900,000hectares of organicfarmlandacrossCanada
GET INSPIRED!National Organic Week eventsare happening all across the country.Visit organicweek.ca to find onein your area.
Ontario’s 1st Certified Organic retailer.Celebrating our 31st Anniversary!Specializing in local, organic,Non-GMO and environmentallysafe products.
Natural Food Market416.466.2129Wholistic Dispensary416.466.8432
348 Danforth Avenuethebigcarrot.ca
JOIN THESOLOCALMOVEMENT.
Learn more at SOLCUISINE.COM/SOLOCAL
SOLocal Ontario Organic Tofu is acomplete protein. It’s a great alternative,offering 10g of protein per serving.Ask for it when you go out to dine orin your local supermarket.
Food movements driving market shiftConsumers ask more questions and choose organic
By Matthew HolmesExecutive Director, Canada OrganicTrade Association
here does your food comefrom? It’s a loaded ques-tion. Food has becomeintensely social and political: lessabout the egg than the hen thatlaid it and the farmer who raisedthe hen.This shift isn’t just aboutwhere you shop or what youchoose to buy. The business newsfocuses on Canada’s mergingmega-grocers; our smartphonesoffer us countless food-themedapps; reality TV serves up moretypes of cooking shows than everimaginable; books likeWheatBelly and The Omnivore’s Dilemmaare bestsellers. And who isn’ta little tired of seeing tweets ofeveryone’s meals?Food has become a culturaldriver in North America. We’re be-ing asked to think about our fooda lot more, to think before we eat,and that is leading people downtwo very different paths.There’s been a clear movementto create connections and com-munity around food. The UnitedStates Department of Agriculturetracks the number of domestic
farmers’ markets, and countedover 8,100 in 2013. Comparethis to just over 3,000 markets10 years ago, and it is clear thatsomething important is happen-ing. In British Columbia, there’sbeen a 147 per cent growth infarmers’ market sales since 2006,and a five-fold increase in organicsales at those markets.But just as the “foodie”move-ment is on the ascendant, thereseems also to be a counter-move-ment, one long championed byadolescent boys and the corpora-tions that excel at hyping “super-sized” death-defyingmeals.The source of this summer’sunfortunate outbreak of food poi-soning at the CNE in Toronto, theCronut burger, is but one of manyover-the-top, highly processedand fundamentally unhealthyfoods beingmarketed today. Therecipe seems to be equal partsbragging rights, indulgence anda willful ignorance of what we’reactually eating.But organic foodmarkettrends, the continued popularityof the locavoremovement andthe success of themany chefswho embrace local, seasonal andorganic food demonstrate thatmost Canadians are eager to knowmore about their food.It’s an aspiration that can provechallenging.First, think about where yourfood comes from. If somethingis grown “close to home” does itmeanmuch? It might; it might
not. Knowing where somethingwas grown andmade is certainlythe first step to understandingmore about the product and thepractices behind it.But knowing where your food israised doesn’t tell you everythingyou need to know. Do your localfarms use pesticides and herbi-cides on your vegetables that youwouldn’t use on your own frontlawn? Do they raise their animals
in conditions that would be un-conscionable for your family pets?What about packaged foods: dotheir ingredients include canola,soy, corn or sugar? Are they friedin “vegetable” or canola oil? If the
answer is yes, unless the food iscertified organic, you’re almostguaranteed to be eating geneti-cally modified organisms (GMOs).That’s your choice, but chancesare that the information wasn’tdisclosed on the package, andwhat kind of choice is that?How is your food grown andmade? Do the farms use sewagesludge for fertilizer? Do they usepesticides that are known toxins,hormone-disruptors and neuro-development inhibitors? Arethe animals kept in cages awayfrom the sun and fresh air? Areotherwise healthy animals fed an-tibiotics to promote weight gain?Are products made with artificialflavours, preservatives, colours,nitrites, GMOs or other new (andunpronounceable) additives and“ingredients”?It is sometimes very difficult tofind the answers to these ques-tions. But if your food is organic,you can rest assured that Canada’sgovernment-regulated organicstandards and inspections forbidany of these practices on or-ganic farms or additives in organicproducts. And the government’s“Canada Organic” logomakes iteasy to spot them.So when you remind yourselfto think before you eat, as manyof us are doing these days, thinkCanada Organic. Ninety-eight percent of Canadians polled thinkthey will increase ormaintaintheir current purchases of organicthis year. What do you think?
Sales
Estimated value of total Canadian organic sales in 2012Sales Value($ Millions)
MarketShare
Total Organic Food& Beverage(excluding alcohol) 2,978.6 1.7%Organic Alcohol 135.0 0.67%Organic Supplements 34.4 1.25%Organic Fibre (linen & clothing) 24.2 0.15%Organic Personal Care 41.1 0.45%Organic Pet Food
4.1 0.25%Organic Household Products 8.2 0.2%Organic Flowers
3.0 0.1%Organic Exports fromCanada 458.0Total Canada Organic Market: $3,686.6M
SpecialOrganic Week, September 21-28, 2013
This report was produced by RandallAnthony Communications Inc. (www.randallanthony.com) in conjunction with the advertising department of The Globe and Mail. Richard Deacon, National Business Development Manager, rdeacon@globeandmail.com.
ONLINE?
For more information, visitglobeandmail.com/organicweek.
COTA 1 • AN INFORMATION FEATURE FOR CANADA ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATIONthe globe and ma il • mondaY, september 23 , 201 3
organicfood, farming & productsin Canada
Celebrate
@OrganicWeek /OrganicWeek
organicweek.ca September 21-28, 2013
Canadian Organic GrowersCultivons Biologique Canada
COGThinkCanadaOrganic.ca
eat Canadian Organic food?• It’s great-tasting and nutritious• It reduces our exposure to pesticides and GMOs• It’s produced and certified to meet nationalOrganic standards
• It’s healthy for soil, plants and animals, & reducesour carbon footprint!
Contact RICHARD DEACON at 604.631.6636, or via e-mail at rdeacon@globeandmail.com
Digital - 300 x 600 unit.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ixj1l3wa1c2zx3/eOrganicFoodSept.26.pdfhttps://www.dropbox.com/s/pdy0c9nu6xhunkw/Organics%2014Oct11.pdfhttps://www.dropbox.com/s/7z7kvqhxl16phfd/Organics%20Sept.%2023.13.pdfmailto:rdeacon@globeandmail.comRecommended