Meat market

>> At twice the price, just what does organic mean?

by NOEMI LOPINTO

Once upon a time, a burger was simply another kind of sandwich. However, since the advent of mad cow disease and subsequent revelations about industry practices--cattle being fed their own remains, pesticides, hormone therapy, irradiation debates--meat eaters are lucky if all they feel is guilt. A growing number of consumers are not up to debating the merits of progesterone, testosterone and gamma rays in their beef. The solution seems obvious: spend twice the cash on "organic" meat and eat in peace.

The use of the organic label has grown in proportion with the public's hankering for anxiety-free food. "Certified organic" or "organically produced" milk, meat, fruit and beverages can be found in a growing percentage of supermarkets. Costa, head butcher at the P.A. Supermarket on Parc, says sales of organic beef and poultry amount to approximately 20 per cent of his profits. "The organic beef is almost twice the price," explains Costa, "because, without the hormones, the animal's growth rate is so much slower. Shipping costs are also higher."

But the lack of labelling leaves many wondering what organic means, and who certifies it. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which routinely monitors livestock for diseases, creates surveillance programs such as the Canadian Cattle Identification Program and has the power to suspend importation of animal material, assess international scientific information and modify government policy. Producers working with the CFIA meet a set of national standards, from writing and following protocols for barn sanitation, feed mixing, medication use and injection techniques to keeping specific records on feeds and medications. The livestock, pesticide and food-processing industries proudly proclaim their ties with the government, yet, except for some guidelines for voluntary labelling practices, the Minister of Agriculture and the CFIA have virtually no fingers in the organic pie.

Defining organic

Monique Scholz, director of services for the Quebec chapter of the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) says she expects the number of registered organic farms to grow dramatically in the coming year. "Consumers are losing confidence in the government, which keeps assuring them that the meat industry's methods are safe. It's just not true," says Scholz. "Organic farmers generate a gross national product but they are not a multimillion-dollar lobby. We constitute 275 farms, or one per cent of the acreage in Quebec." Scholz says there is currently a legislative dispute over definitions of the word organic.

The term organic does not necessarily mean pesticide-free. It is used to describe products of organic farming, a system of farm design that relies on crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-the-farm organic wastes, mechanical cultivation, mineral-bearing rocks and aspects of biological pest control. Stephanie Wells, director of communications for the OCIA, says organic farmers have had to articulate their own standards. "Government is not interested in organic farming," says Wells. "The OCIA was created by farmers in order to set up standards for rotation practices, farming plans and certification procedures. An organic farmer has to have a good understanding of cultivation practices, must not use chemical fertilizers, insecticides, or herbicides."

"The use of the term organic has the potential to be considered misleading and deceptive under the Food and Drugs Act and Section 7 of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act," writes Marian Faucher of the Canadian General Standards Board on their Web site. "All statements, such as 'organically grown,' 'organically raised,' 'organically produced,' 'certified organic,' or any other variations or uses of the word 'organic,' are considered to be organic claims. With organic food sales tallying $200-million per year and growing 15 per cent annually, consumers need a new national standard for organic agriculture."

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency allows food to be voluntarily labelled "organic" if certified by an independent body that meets ISO guidelines set by the Standard Council of Canada (SCC). In Quebec, that body must be accredited by the Conseil d'accréditation du Québec before it can certify organic products. However, certification is not mandatory, and when not certified it is difficult to ascertain where the meat was produced or which farming methods were followed.

Eric, a 36-year-old father of two, feeds his children organic meat and dairy products, though he says organic vegetables are harder to come by. "In Europe everything is labelled right down to the cow, and there's even a contact number," he says. "It should be like that in Canada. It's very easy to get organic stuff in France because the tradition of family farms and organic farmers is much stronger there.

"It's a huge difference in taste with beef, chicken, lamb--even my children notice the difference," claims Eric. Costa the butcher agrees. "I'm not overly concerned about the hormones and E.coli," he says. "The meat just tastes much better."