Local Delicious

I suspect this is much closer to the images of happy chickens we assume to be chicken-farming reality.

Read on and check out the definition for free-run chicken as well.

Please note: “Free-Range” and “Free-Roving” are interchangeable

Excerpt from Ecoholic

“These hens get to see the light of day and snack off the land. Not a government regulated term. Only backed up on certified organic eggs.”

From the BC SPCA website

“Hens that are raised in free range systems are free from battery cages and are allowed some access to the outside. As with free-run housing, free-range systems do not necessarily provide more space than conventional battery cages, and are not required to provide resources such as nest boxes, perches, or a substrate for dust-bathing.”

Fair Trade has been around for a while now, especially in connection with coffee and chocolate. The fair-trade logo is the same for both Canada and the US.

Excerpt from Ecoholic

“The certified fair-trade logo ensures that any coffee, chocolate, sugar, or whatnot you get from the developing world is made under strong labour standards. The logo often implies that ecologically sensitive practices are encouraged, but it does not guarantee it. Your best bet is certified organic and fair trade, but these are two expensive logos and not every farm can afford them, which means that not everyone thinks it’s so fair. Still, it’s the only way to know for sure that what you’re buying hasn’t been made in the equivalent of a sweatshop.”

Excerpt from Wikipedia

“The currently accepted definition of Fair Trade has been agreed by FINE, an informal association of four international fair trade networks (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, World Fair Trade Organization, Network of European Worldshops and European Fair Trade Association):

Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade Organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.

Today, we’re checking out “pesticide-free”. Who doesn’t want to be pesticide-free?

Excerpt from Ecoholic

“Sure, it might mean your broccoli hasn’t been sprayed with chemincals, which is good, but this label doesn’t cover all the other good stuff that comes with organic. The CFIA [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] doesn’t really approve of the term because, given all the contaminants in the environment, cananything ever be pesticide-free? If they spot-test a food items and find out it’s not free of pesticides, the farmer can be charged with fraud.”

And now with a US twist from FruitandVeggieGuru.com

“[Pesticide-Free refers to] food that was grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. This doesn’t mean that the food is completely free of pesticides: organic pesticides could have been used, or synthetic pesticide residue from neighboring farms could have blown onto crops. Use of this term is not regulated by any national standards.”

The US has the National Organic Program as its certification and labeling system. Items certified through this system carry the “USDA Organic” label.

Excerpt from Ecoholic

“This stamp reflects the fact that the US (namely the Department of Agriculture) finally implemented a national organic system in 2002. Trouble is, it created a ceiling, not a floor, and certifiers that might have been more stringent were forced to ‘harmonize’ or drop their standards to get in line with the national program. Some say the USDA system is weaker than the European system and, in some cases, the Canadian system in that it allows substances such as Chilean nitrites on organic crops (making California lettuce much prettier than ours), and farms can have pesticide-sprayed crops on one side and organics on the other. But Canada also allows a couple of substances that the US doesn’t. Several attempts to significantly water down USDA regs have been bucked.”

From the USDA website

“The National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents (foreign and domestic) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards.”

Also see:
Biologique Canada Organic
Organic
100% Certified Organic

What? Certified Organic doesn’t mean 100% Certified Organic? Sorry, but according to Wikipedia, products made with up to 95% organic ingredients can still carry the USDA Organic label.

What Ecoholic has to say:

“You might pay a little more for it, but this is the purest stuff you can find under any certification system. No synthetic inputs can be snuck in, no matter who the certifier.”

FruitandVeggieGuru.com agrees:

“All ingredients – the produce itself and anything used in processing – were grown and harvested according to USDA organic standards. The name of the certifying agency must appear on the package.”

Also see:
USDA Organic
Biologique Canada Organic
Organic

Canada’s new system of certifying and identifying organic products comes into effect June 30, 2009. According to the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s website, “When the Organic Products Regulations come into full force on June 30, 2009, voluntary use of the “Biologique Canada Organic” designation and logo will be permitted on the labelling of those food products certified as meeting the National Organic Standards (Canadian Organic Production Systems General Principles and Management Standards CAN/CGSB 32.310 and Permitted Substances Lists CAN/CGSB 32.311).”

After June 30, 2009, consumers should see this logo (above) on various organic products. Obviously, this new system will take a while to be on all packaging, so we’ve included an excerpt from Ecoholic on what the Canadian system looks like now.

Excerpt from Ecoholic

“There are dozens of certifiers in Canada, so until the fed’s new Canada Organic regulation and label are fully phased in you might find a confusing number of logos on grocery shelves certifying to slightly different standards. (Quebec and BC are the only provinces that already had their own mandatory systems in place.)”

“In general, to qualify for organic certification, farms have to be pesticide-free for three years and must avoid synthetic inputs such as pesticides and antibiotics, as well as the deliberate use of GMO’s [Genetically Modified Organisms], while stressing soil-building. Certifiers also tend to have basic stipulations about animal welfare (no caged chickens or rabbits, for instance), although European programs are better than those in Canada and the US on this front.”

See also:
USDA Organic
100% Certified Organic
Organic