Operations Within Canada

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Certification to the Canada Organic Regime (COR) standard and COR equivalencies:

Any operation or portion of an operation located in Canada that is producing organic food products is required to be certified directly to the Canada Organic Regime (COR) Standards. CCOF can provide organic certification to the COR standards for Handler operations only, with identical benefits to USDA NOP certification. 

To obtain COR certification from CCOF, organic operations located in Canada must:

If part of your operation is in Canada and part is in the United States, it is necessary for you to have two separate certifications with CCOF. The facilities in Canada must be certified to COR and cannot be certified to the NOP. The facilities in the United States must be certified to the NOP and cannot be certified to COR.

Contact getcertified@ccof.org for more information about how to enroll in the CCOF COR Compliance program.

COR Labeling Requirements and Use of the COR Logo

CCOF has developed a helpful International Market Labeling Guide to explain labeling requirements for products sold in Canada. Submit all labels to CCOF for approval prior to printing.

Download the COR logo. Additional information on labeling is available from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

COR Equivalencies: United States, Japan, EU, UK, Switzerland, Taiwan, Costa Rica, & Mexico

The Canadian government has established organic equivalence arrangements with other major organic markets, allowing your COR certified products to be exported and sold as organic in those countries and allowing your operation to source organic products from those countries. Each equivalence arrangement has specific terms that must be met and verified by CCOF in order to export organic product from Canada to that specified location.

CCOF’s Global Market Access (GMA) program provides your operation and products with the necessary review and documentation to export your COR organic products to the US, Japan, EU, UK, Switzerland and Taiwan. Enrollment in GMA is required for each market and can be done by reviewing the GMA Manual and submitting a GMA application to inbox@ccof.org.

Please follow the links below to learn more about equivalency terms and export/import requirements or email export@ccof.org for further information.

If you are interested in exporting organic products to Mexico or Costa Rica, please contact export@ccof.org.

CCOF Operations Certified to the COR Standards

You can find CCOF clients certified to the COR standards in real time by accessing our online directory and checking the Canada Organic Regime (COR) Certified box under “Certification”.

Regulatory Bodies in Canada

  • Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA): Implements standards, approves Conformity Verification Bodies (CVB), accredits certifiers (with CVB recommendation), and negotiates equivalency agreements.
  • Canadian General Standards Board: Develops standards and materials lists as part of a public consensus-based process. Composed of several working groups: PSL, Crops, Livestock, Processing.

COR Aquaculture Additional Information