New provincial legislation takes effect on April 1, 2019, bolstering consumer confidence in the highly scrutinized organic food industry
ALBERTA, March 28, 2019 /CNW/ - With the rise of the "foodie" movement, farm-to-fork, and supporting local, Albertans are becoming more savvy, health-conscious, educated, and selective of their food purchasing. On April 1st, 2019, the Supporting Alberta's Local Food Sector Act, will come into effect. Along with the establishment of the Local Food Council, and Local Food Week, the legislation mandates that anyone who uses the term "organic", must be certified in accordance with the very stringent federal Organic Products Regulations.
Even though Albertans are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about their food, there is still considerable confusion and mistrust about what defines organic. "In Alberta 74% of all Albertans buy organic, but one of the things that we often hear is how do I really know that it is organic, how do I trust it? Now because of the legislation, all Albertans can have complete confidence that all local food that says it is organic meets the stringent federal organic standards that are regulated by CFIA." Becky Lipton, Executive Director of Organic Alberta. "You can trust the label, it's the law".
Over the next few months, Organic Alberta will be rolling out a consumer education program. The goal is to provide Albertan's with a credible resource to Get the Facts about all things organic. "We know that Albertans are very interested to learn more about organics and I am very excited about the opportunity to share the facts. Organics includes so much more than just no synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, such as non-GMO, animal welfare standards etc. This education campaign will delve into those details."
To learn more about the education campaign and upcoming events, visit: https://organicalberta.org/getthefacts/
Legislation information: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-organic-products-regulations.aspx
Organic Alberta's mission is to represent, support and grow Alberta's entire organic industry. Established in 2005, we represent all 600+ organic producers and processors in Alberta as well as 100+ businesses across the organic community. Organic Alberta is the voice of organics in Alberta. We communicate with and for the sector, we market the organic brand, we encourage and support producers to transition to organic, we cultivate better production practices, and we advance business development. We lead the organics towards success.
SOURCE Organic Alberta
For further information: Media Contact: Becky Lipton, Executive Director, Organic Alberta, 587-521-2400, [email protected]
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