Certifications for exporting to Canada: Fair Trade, organic, GLOBALG.A.P. and sustainability

Organic: the Canada Organic Regime (COR)

To sell a product as organic in Canada, it must be certified by a CFIA-accredited certification body, or by a body recognized under one of Canada’s equivalency arrangements. Those arrangements currently cover Costa Rica, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ecuador is not on the list.

The organic certificate must be issued to the last operation that handled the product before export, state the standard it is certified to, be valid at the time of import and include the list of products. The importer uploads it in the import declaration system. If the requirements are met, the product can carry the Canada Organic logo.

If you already hold organic certification for the United States or the European Union, ask your certifier and your importer whether it works for Canada in your case. Do not assume it does.

Fair Trade (Fairtrade)

Fairtrade certification checks economic, social and environmental standards. Audits are carried out by FLOCERT, an independent body accredited to ISO 17065, which confirms, among other things, that producers receive the Fairtrade Minimum Price and Premium.

Producer organizations are certified, and so are the traders, importers, exporters and manufacturers that trade Fairtrade products. Brands that want the FAIRTRADE Mark on the finished product need a licence. For a producer organization, the process starts with an initial on-site audit followed by a three-year cycle of confirmation and renewal audits.

Keep in mind that other fair trade systems exist, with their own standards and labels. Ask your buyer which one it recognizes.

GLOBALG.A.P.: good agricultural practices

The GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard covers food safety, the environment, workers’ health, safety and welfare, production processes and traceability. It includes areas such as water use, pest management and plant protection products.

The audit is annual and is carried out by an approved independent certification body. The certificate is valid for one year. Each registered producer receives a 13-digit GLOBALG.A.P. Number (GGN) that any buyer can use to verify its certification status.

Sustainability: Rainforest Alliance and others

Rainforest Alliance certification is granted under its 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard and carried out by authorized certification bodies. The crops it covers include bananas and tea. Other sustainability labels exist depending on the sector; the rule is the same: certify for what your buyer values and is willing to reward in price or volume.

How to choose where to start

• Meet the mandatory part first: the CFIA requirements for your product.
• If you will say “organic” in Canada, you need a certification that is valid under the COR.
• For voluntary schemes, start with what the specific buyers you are talking to ask for.
• Compare audit costs and lead times across several approved certification bodies.
• Keep consistent records across certifications: the traceability one requires usually serves the others.