Canada Organic Regime operating manual
Preface
This Canada Organic Regime (COR) operating manual contains policies and procedures for activities applicable to the COR. The manual provides an overview of the procedure to be followed when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Conformity Verification Bodies (CVB) enter into an agreement, as well as the procedure to accredit Certification Bodies (CB) and to certify organic products. The goal in producing this manual is to provide a structure so that services are delivered in a consistent and efficient manner.
Part 13 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) were made pursuant to section 51 of the Safe Food for Canadians Act. The purpose of the SFCR is to establish a system by which the CFIA as the competent authority in Canada for organic products marketed in interprovincial, export and import trade shall regulate the use of the "Canada Organic Logo" and organic claims.
The SFCR would facilitate international market access, provide more specific protection to consumers against deceptive and misleading labelling practices through a uniform approach to organic product certification and labelling, and support further development of the domestic market. The need for a federal regulatory regime has been identified and supported by the Canadian organic industry.
The COR CFIA envisions reviewing and amending the COR operating manual every 5 years. The CFIA might decide to review the COR Operating Manual earlier in cases of outstanding findings from peer reviews, changes to part 13 of the current SFCR or International requirements.
Should there be any discrepancy between the COR operating manual and the SFCR, the SFCR shall take precedence.
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