Jackman-Atkinson: By any other name
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, January 15, 2014
By: Kate Jackman-Atkinson
myWestman.ca
Last week, the news about the Canadian organic food sector was big and it was bad. On Jan 8, CBC reported that according to Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) data, organic food isn’t as pure as consumers may think. In the last two years, 45.2 per cent of food labeled ‘organic’ contained traces of pesticides.
The report was based on data released to CBC News under the federal Access to Information Act and included the results of testing done on organic fruits and vegetables sampled between September 2011 and September 2013.
There are different levels of contamination and it may be impossible to pesticide residue entirely. Matthew Holmes, executive director of the Ottawa-based Canada Organic Trade Association, told the CBC that it’s hard to escape pesticide residues. “We see pesticide residues throughout our environment... Unfortunately, it’s really hard to have a zero pesticide residue any longer,” he said.
The residue found on the produce tested by the CFIA varied in concentration from as little as 0.0001 parts per million (ppm) to greater than three ppm. This points to the likelihood of both accidental contamination as well as deliberate pesticide use, which is where we should be concerned. It’s also where CFIA should be concerned, but based on the CBC’s report, there were no repercussions for those growing or selling produce with pesticide contamination at levels indicative of deliberate application. The CFIA didn’t prevent any of these foods from making their way to the store shelves -- even those with high levels of pesticide residue -- saying that none of the foods posed a health risk. It’s true that they were still safe to eat, but it’s also true that they were very likely mislabeled.
The report showed more than just the CFIA allowing ‘organic’ produce with pesticide residue to be sold. It also revealed that for three years, a Burnaby, B.C. bakery was selling bread labeled as ‘organic’, but made with conventional flour. The discovery was made when a CFIA inspector was at the bakery and observed a delivery of non-organic flour. The bakery was found to have no organic flour at all.
Five CFIA managers approved charges against Medeterian Bakery, but top CFIA officials declined to press charges against the bakery for misleading customers. None of the customers, which included restaurants and retailers such as Whole Foods, were informed about the non-compliance.
The Organic Products Regulations were brought in by the federal government in 2009. They require organic food producers to have their products certified by an accredited third-party certification body, which must conduct annual farm and facility inspections. When it comes to organics, the CFIA doesn’t seem to do much in the way of enforcement. The agency told CBC that when residues are found to be over five per cent of the maximum limit, “the CFIA informs the certification body, who are required to follow-up with the operator/producer to determine the source of the contamination.”
This is a contrast to the actions taken by the US Department of Agriculture when products are misrepresented as ‘organic’. The USDA has assessed dozens of operators with approximately $500,000 in fines over the last four years and has even sent cases to criminal court. In one case, a farmer was sentenced to more than two years in prison. The CFIA could not point to a single prosecution involving organic products.
The issue isn’t just about organics, it’s about compliance and enforcement. How would you feel if you bought beef, but then found out that CFIA testing found it to be pork, but allowed it to be sold, labeled as ‘beef’, because it was still safe to eat? People have specific diets due to allergies, health concerns and religious beliefs and we want to know that what we are eating is labeled correctly.
Consumers need to trust that CFIA is upholding the integrity of the Canadian food system. If CFIA isn’t stepping up to enforce violations in labeling and marketing when it comes to organics, it makes one wonder: what else aren’t they enforcing?
