US-Canada Organic Equivalence Arrangement
The purpose of this information is to make the arrangements regarding the US-Canada Organic Equivalence Arrangement clear and how
this may apply to clients certified by SXCA.
USDA products supplied into Canada
In order to be sold, labeled, or represented as organic in Canada, USDA organic products must meet the following additional requirements:
- Agricultural products produced with the use of sodium nitrate shall not be sold or marketed as organic in Canada.
- Agricultural products produced by hydroponic or aeroponic production methods shall not be sold or marketed as organic in Canada.
- Agricultural products derived from animals (with the exception of ruminants) must be produced according to livestock stocking
rates as set out in section 6.8 of CAN/CGSB32.310-2006.
Canadian products used in USDA certified goods
In order to be used in an USDA certified product, or to be re-labelled / repacked as a USDA certified product, Canadian organic products
must not be derived from animals treated with antibiotics.
Documentation Requirements
Written documentation is required to verify that the requirements listed above have been met. These attestations can be
made by either the client or by SXCA. All products that are produced under the terms of the US-Canada Organic Equivalence Arrangement
must be accompanied by documentation stating “Certified in compliance with the terms of the US-Canada Organic Equivalency Arrangement”.
Canadian Labelling Requirements
In Canada the permitted labeling claims are as follows:
| Organic | Products that contains at least 95% organic content may be labelled organic and bear the Logo. |
| % organic ingredients | Multi-ingredient products with 70%-95% organic product content may have the declaration: “% organic ingredients”. |
| Declaration in the ingredient list | Multi-ingredient products with less than 70% organic content may identify the organic products it contains in its ingredient list. |
The name of the Certification Body must appear on the label. USDA certified products that have been imported into Canada must be identified as such.
Also, according to Canadian Organic Products Regulations, the following claims or statements must be in English and French:
- “organic”
- the percentage organic ingredients declaration,
- the name of the certification body and
- the “Product of”/”Imported” statement.