The word ‘organic’ has been co-opted and sullied by the industrial organic food system leaving consumers confused and frustrated - much to the delight of conventional farmers.
For organic to work, we must speak up. Yes, we would all like to see as many acres as possible of organic production done to a regenerative standard here in Northern Ontario, but clearly, many of us have very different definitions of what is acceptable ‘organic’.
The Canadian Organic/USDA label no longer represents organic to me. On June 17, 2009, Canada and the USA entered into an arrangement recognizing our national organic systems to be equivalent. Canada acknowledged that agricultural products for use as vegetative propagating material, food, and feed produced, processed and certified as organic in accordance with the USDA National Organic Program, are considered equivalent to the requirements of the Canadian Organic Products Regulations, 2009. Ten years later, this is barely being done to the letter of the law, and far from the spirit of the law, in industrial organic operations.
I discovered that the erosion of the ‘organic’ label includes massive CAFOs that have become the dominant suppliers of "organic" milk, meat, and eggs in the USA and parts of Canada. Produce is being grown in seas of monocultures on farm fields. It looks like conventional agriculture to the eye, but says ‘organic’ on paper.
So even as Northerners seek better food choices and the ‘organic’ market grows, it has seems to me that the REAL organic market has been shrinking, pushed out of grocery stores by industrial ‘organic’ players like Presidents Choice Organics, Nestle and Driscoll Farms.
The food system in Canada makes it easier to access mass produced organic produce grown in Mexico than access real organic grown 7 km down the road. Now, true organic/regenerative growers mostly reside in our farmers' markets, CSAs, on social media and on road side farm stands - and only for a few short months here in the north.
I believe that most people like me are still trying to buy soil-based, pasture-based, small scale farm products that were raised to a standard which leaves the land in better shape than it was found the year before. Which is to say, what organic used to mean, and the very market they built in the first place.
For real organic done to regenerative standards to work, we must aggressively seek out and purchase from our local growers at the markets, farm gates, CSA’s and follow them on their social media channels. It helps if we buy in bulk to freeze and preserve or share with friends and family - reducing our reliance on national grocery stores and the industrial food chain throughout the winter months.