There is a push to regulate organic products.
The NDP's Peter Tabuns and PC's Sylvia Jones are co-sponsoring a private member’s bill to start organic products regulation in Ontario.
Right now, the Canada Organic Regime is only enforced for products that carry the Canada Organic Logo and those that are exported outside of Ontario.
Five other provinces have already adopted regulations to oversee organic claims.
The bill was developed in partnership with the Organic Council of Ontario (OCO), the association for organic businesses in Ontario.
According to OCO President Tom Manley, the bill does more than just address labelling concerns.
Manley says Ontario has a $1.4 billion dollar organic market and provincial regulation would protect businesses that already certify, and provide an opportunity to support increased production.
The federal organic regulation, created in 2009, provides a legal definition for “organic,” and a certification system for organic products that cross provincial and national borders, but does not cover claims within provinces.
