Canadian and Swiss food regulators have signed an agreement to expand their organic equivalency arrangements to recognise organic standards in multi-ingredient processed food products.
The new deal comes into effect tomorrow (1 October) and updates a pre-existing equivalency arrangement between the countries. The former deal, struck in 2012, deemed the certification systems in Canada and Switzerland were equivalent for organic agricultural products.
The new agreement means Canada and Switzerland recognise their standards of organic production are deemed to be on a par for processed foods as well and products can enter each market without further certification.
“In today’s global trade environment, this arrangement is great news for Canadian organic processors and producers who will particularly benefit from Switzerland’s processed food and beverage market,” Canadian minister of agriculture and agri-food, Lawrence MacAulay, said.
Announcing the deal, Canadian regulators stressed the potential offered to Canadian food makers by Switzerland’s organic food market, which is the eighth largest in the world valued and growing at around 7.5% year-on-year.
