Production and Preparation

Certify your products

The organic foodstuff sector has undergone some very vigorous growth, both on the domestic and international level, and particularly in the United States, Europe and Japan.

In 2000, the total sales volume for Quebec companies went above the $100 million mark. The agrifood sector as a whole (from production to retail levels) created the equivalent of 2,000 full-time jobs.

The organic production dilemma

The organic sector undoubtedly constitutes a niche market, giving current market prices a fairly high added value amount. Operators wishing to convert to organic production must however take certain limitations into consideration. Among these are higher prices for raw materials and certain difficulties in obtaining supplies, leading to a production slowdown.

An organic operation cannot be improvised

Rather than leaving everything to chance, remember that in organic agricultural operations, the planning methods required are more or less identical to those of for any other enterprise. Also of great importance in this sector is that your operations must be subjected to monitoring by a certifying body, in accordance with Quebec regulations. During their inspection certifiers will examine the production or processing systems used by your firm, in addition to the quality of the end products.

If you have any questions pertaining to the legal framework or standards and procedures to be followed, please do not hesitate to contact your certifier or the CARTV.