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

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4.1 MILLION UNIQUE VISITORSOVER 3 MILLION MONTHLY MOBILE READERS

1.6 MILLION VIDEOS VIEWED MONTHLY108,000 GLOBE RECOGNITION MEMBERS –

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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)

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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

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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.

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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

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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.com