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Tia Loftsgard | Choose Canada Organic
78 Plays5 months ago
We’re pulling back the curtain and going backstage for this one… because this episode of Aisle 42 is with Tia Loftsgard (from Canada Organic Trade Association). She is a passionate advocate for organic farming and sustainable food systems and we have a lively conversation about local food, healthy food, what it takes to have grocery stores full of food we can trust.
To learn more go to: https://choosecanadaorganic.ca
To learn about who is behind this podcast go to: https://www.ethicalfoodgroup.com/podcast
Here’s a summary of this interview:
Opening Banter: Corwin explains his snapping system for signaling edits and mentions technical difficulties, setting a casual and friendly tone.
Importance of Organic: Corwin expresses his strong belief in organic food as foundational to the future of the food system, prompting Tia to share her vision.
Vision for Future Grocery Stores: Tia envisions a perfect grocery store that profiles local farmers, integrates organic principles, and eliminates the need for separate organic labeling.
Consumer Engagement: Tia emphasizes the importance of connecting consumers with local food systems and making claims easy to understand, advocating for economic diversity and prosperity for Canadian farmers.
Certification and Regulation: Tia clarifies that organic certification in Canada is regulated by the federal government, not her organization, which focuses on advocacy and consumer education.
Consumer Preferences: Tia notes that consumers seek natural, real food free from synthetic pesticides, GMOs, preservatives, and artificial dyes.
Challenges in the Food System: The discussion touches on the complexities of food production, such as limited biodiversity in stores and the presence of misleading marketing claims.
Regulation and Oversight: Tia explains the rigorous regulation of organic food, including annual and surprise audits, and encourages consumers to report suspicious claims.
Regenerative Agriculture: Tia highlights the confusion around the term "regenerative" and emphasizes the need for clear definitions and standards, similar to those for organic certification.
Educational Initiatives: Tia discusses efforts to educate the younger generation about organic practices through programs like Organic Campus and plans to expand awareness through initiatives like Organic Month and workplace programs.
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Transcript
Introduction to Organic Farming with Tia Lofsgard
00:00:00
Speaker
This is aisle 42.
00:00:07
Speaker
We're pulling back the curtain and going backstage for this one because this episode of aisle 42 is with Tia Lofsgard from Canada Organic Trade Association.
The Trust Factor in Organic Food
00:00:16
Speaker
She's a passionate advocate for organic farming and sustainable food systems, and we have a really lively conversation about local food, healthy food, and what it takes to have grocery stores full of food we can trust. So let's get into it. I hope you enjoy listening in. Here's Tia.
Organic Food's Role in Future Food Systems
00:00:33
Speaker
Tia, I'm so glad we're having this conversation because I say it often, I say it often on this podcast, and to anyone that will hear me say it, I believe that organic is a really important thing for the food system. It's the baseline of which all other future wonderful things will come out of. So I think it's really fitting that we're having this conversation. I guess I've been talking behind your back for a few episodes now, and I think it only makes sense. So I'm glad to have you here, but in classic aisle 42 fashion, We don't start with banter, we start with a
Sustainable Farming and Local Connections
00:01:02
Speaker
question. And that is, if you were to imagine the perfect grocery store of the future, what would it look like? Oh, that is my dream. I've been pondering this my entire career. So I would say that it is profiling local farmers who are growing sustainably, could be organic certified, could be just using organic principles, but that people are connected to their local food system.
00:01:29
Speaker
and that they're really eating in season and that you can tell the stories of the farmers and you can really understand the claims in a simplistic way that organic is not isolated in a little isle all by itself and that everything is organic. because you don't have to label anything anymore because now it's mandated that you've got organic firm throughout the entire
Challenges in Local Food Sourcing
00:01:54
Speaker
grocery store, and whether it's a farmer's market or a grocery store. And I love the big guys. I love the little guys. I love to make sure that there's something for everybody there. But I think the biggest thing is that we need to solve the local sourcing food challenge so that we can have more economic diversity and prosperity coming to our our Canadian farmers.
00:02:15
Speaker
Well said and the marketer in me would like to ask for one concession and it might be awkward. It might be stupid, but imagine. a non-organic aisle. So everything is organic, except for this one little bastard aisle in an awkward part of the grocery store where you can get your, dare I say, your Oreo cookies or whatever. You're super, super non-organic. The marketer in me always likes the little juxtaposition to really frame something. But I think your vision is a beautiful one and I appreciate you sharing it that way.
00:02:48
Speaker
Now, usually I save things like this for the end, but I wanna call it out right off the top in that it as an association, as a certification entity, it's very often that those types of places and spaces and and trade work and business work don't really come down to the consumer level very often, but the symbol that you guys offer your your members and and those that use your certification, it's become quite recognized, which is wonderful. And you also have a dedicated resource for the everyday
Resources for Organic Support
00:03:19
Speaker
shopper. ah For those that want to understand and support and benefit from organic ingredients, people can go to ChooseCanadaOrganic.ca and learn all about it and get involved and feel like they're a part of the equation, which I think is really wonderful. So if you wouldn't mind, could you just run us through, like, what's the mission and vision of Choose Canada Organic? How do you guys do what you do and and why are you putting it out there in this way?
00:03:45
Speaker
So a few clarifications. um Organic was a voluntary system.
Regulation of Organic Farming in Canada
00:03:50
Speaker
And in 2009, it actually became regulated as law by the Canadian government. So our organization does not do any of that. The federal government does. And certification bodies that are commissioned by the federal government, they do all that. logo monitoring, they do all that certification side of things. Our organization is simply advocacy and to make sure that there's going to be a prosperous future for organic to be able to grow more. And part of that is making sure that consumers know what it is and really understand what the Canada Organic logo stands for so that they can make an informed choice.
00:04:28
Speaker
So this is the best part of the job, if you ask me, is being able to just simply talk about the good work of organic certified producers, whether they're farmers or manufacturers, and really kind of help do that storytelling so that consumers understand what they're why it is that that they would want to make some choices to to support organic. Interesting. I didn't know it was organized quite like that. I probably, if I really thought a little harder about it, maybe I would have made a couple of connections, but I appreciate the clarification. I think that's, that's a great distinction to make. When we talk about organic ingredients, what are some of the main benefits? What are consumers, you know, from your perspective, what are consumers looking for when they're choosing between organic and nonorganic?
Consumer Preferences in Organic Food
00:05:15
Speaker
I think the easiest way to say it is people are looking for natural. They're really looking for something that they consider real food. I think that people have started to understand that so food is being produced for the way it looks, feels, and it's transported more so than for its nutritional content. And so when you look at the way that foods was grown in the 1940s before pesticides were used on foods and fertilizers were you know, mined from the earth, that we certainly had a much more robust and nutritious food system. So people, number one things they tell us all the time is they're looking for something that doesn't have synthetic pesticides. They're looking for products that don't have GMOs or genetically engineered in it.
00:05:59
Speaker
And then they're looking for real. They don't want preservatives. They don't want fake dyes. They don't want things that they're learning after the fact that might have health implications. So they're looking for real food. That's really what they're looking for. Yeah. And there's so many things that kind of go into the processing or making them last longer or making them look better. Maybe they're grown fine, but at, you know, the final few steps before they land on a grocery store shelf, you know, they get things added to them or modified in some way. And so it's a, it's a bit of a minefield when someone's really wanting to choose, you know, healthier, nutritious food for themselves or their family. But yet there's um a lot of things they can trip on when they try to get there.
00:06:41
Speaker
100% and when we think about it, how many banana varieties are offered in a grocery store versus how many varieties exist in this world. right I think that the the shopper has now had very limited choices. ah We're starting to see some diversity come back in more of the you know farmer's markets and people going direct to the farm or even growing their own, but like personally, I'm growing 15 to 16 different types of heritage tomatoes, but you can't find that in the store. So if you really want to make sure that we're preserving the biodiversity, the diversity of seeds out there, I think we do need to look towards organic to to ensure that we are preserving the biodiversity that is starting to be washed away.
00:07:28
Speaker
and i feel like there's Maybe it's an underlying current where there' there's some people that maybe they're looking for a fight, but they sort of feel like there's you know crimes against organic that really stick out in their brains. They're just like, oh, well, I heard that you know something about if it's meat like production where, you know say, a chicken or cow is only you know finished with this, but they were on steroids the whole time, all growing up, or whatever. I'm being facetious a little bit. but When you hear some of these tales, some of them might be true, some of the travesties are I'm sure are out there, what does your organization do to help consumers understand the difference between truth and myth?
Maintaining Trust in Organic Claims
00:08:08
Speaker
Well, let's just say that there's always the possibility of fraud and there's always a bad actor out there. So I think that exists in any type of food production, particularly with organic being um one that generally commands a premium. I think that we need to have more oversight, but to mention that organic is the most heavily regulated food grow in the world. Not only do we have already the food policies that exist with federal government and due to trade, et cetera, but we also have annual audits and surprise audits. So if there's ever something that is suspect, we encourage people to file a complaint with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, contact us or and we'll file it for you as well. But I think it's really important for
00:08:51
Speaker
everybody to have agency in regards to making sure that a claim is a valid claim and so This is a consumer market and this is something that also vote with your dollars So if there's something that you're not a hundred percent sure of but of course, you know Not only should you report it? You should also make sure that you you know vote with your dollars. Don't don't buy it if you don't believe it don't buy it and But I can say that you know there's it's such a heavily regulated system that I think the majority of the stuff that we're seeing out there as organic certified, you can you can absolutely trust. And we do monitor the trust levels of you know all the different claims happening within Canada, and organic is um one of the top trusted claims, of course, because there's so much inspection and there's so much rigor that needs to go into adhering to the standards.
00:09:43
Speaker
And those claims, the terms that get used to make those claims have been, well, many of them have been ah made illegal in Europe, for example. And I'm sure you're very aware of all that legislation where, you know, I think there's things like planet friendly and eco-friendly and some of these really fluff terms that, you know, we're really just marketing spin.
Transparent Food Labeling in Canada
00:10:04
Speaker
What's the future? How do you look at the future around this type of thing and especially the marketing side of it, where you feel like Canada is especially going down the right path to communicate these things and this nutritional value and the that transparency required in a food system to make people healthier and happier? Well, the one thing that I'm happy about is, I mean, the word organic is actually owned by um the government. So that is great that you can't just use the word organic and it means nothing.
00:10:32
Speaker
And even when you know back to the days when there was just natural and we didn't have organic regulated. even natural now has a formal definition. So I think the the shame is is that we have to actually trademark things that are only regulated. I think that there's a lot of greenwashing that happens out there and it is CFIA terrain as well to be able to ah investigate whatever those claims are that might not be valid and they are considered misleading. But I think um from the labeling side of things,
00:11:04
Speaker
We've got fairly good things in place for organic, but I don't think we do for things that are that do have a lot of preservative and pesticides and things. We should be labeling those products that have GE or GMOs in it ah versus the ones that are actually making a positive claim. So hopefully we'll get to a point in time when we're at that place where we're not just having to make sure that the sustainable claims are regulated and overseen. And what's your take on the regenerative organic or the regenerative agriculture you know terminology that's coming
Clarifying 'Regenerative' in Agriculture
00:11:41
Speaker
into the system now? and It's not new, but it's certainly, I think consumers are starting to see and hear it more. And I kind of feel like maybe that's the new era of confusion in that it might be one level too deep for you know your average consumer to really understand what it means. Are you guys involved in the regenerative side of the of the equation?
00:12:02
Speaker
So even just the way you asked the question was confusing. And that was probably the issue. Ouch. Ouch. You're so true. So true. Because regenerative is one thing, and that's just a general term, and it has no definition. Regenerative organic is, there's an actual certification for regenerative organic certified. So this is a debate, I would say, in the industry, because organic has always been regenerative. And so when people started using the word regenerative, organic some of organic actors decided, we're going to call it regenerative organic. Right? And so they are like, let's reclaim the word because it's always been everything that we've been about. And then in the US, a new certification called the regenerative organic certified popped up.
00:12:47
Speaker
So this is where, yes, it gets confusing. And I think your average Joe is just not going to care. But I think the term regenerative is causing definite confusion. We actually wrote a white paper to define what we consider regenerative inorganic. And it doesn't need to be certified organic. But if others are actually doing these sorts of practices, the big issue with regenerative is that it states that it's no-till and that that's the best thing ever. In organic, you have to use a little bit of till. The way that no till people get away with no till is to use glyphosate. so you know Regenerative and glyphosate, um if you're going to go no till, that is an essential. and Glyphosate is not something that's building the soil. it's actually
00:13:37
Speaker
It's actually problematic for pollinators and all the rest of it. So so it's it's confusing. It's why I love that we've got a word that actually means something with a formal definition because we don't have to get into the debate of of the non-defined. Organic was there back in the 1970s. If regenerative wants to mean something, I think eventually it's going to have to set a definition and and hold to whatever those production standards are. yeah I think the spirit of regenerative, you know, for us normal folk who don't know how to ask good questions is that it's so no you're allowed, man, you're allowed. yeah But it's that it's a healing practice, that instead of it being an extraction process, that it's, you know, it's doing something to repair and heal and and make
00:14:23
Speaker
the earth and sort of the systems around it better than you know worse cuz there doesn't seem to be a lot of certain middle of the road it's either one or the other but you know i see the term and i tried to use it carefully in that it was regenerative agriculture that's a term that i've seen on packaging. and it it it wasn't a certification, it wasn't something that looked formal, it looked like marketing language, and sometimes it's just marketing language, and and really they're just signaling to, hey, we're we're being as transparent as we can, and we're trying to do as much good as we can. So I don't wanna, I'm not trying to pick a fight with those that use it, but I do think that consumers, you know for example, certified organic, USDA yeah organic, like some of these very common symbols on packaging,
00:15:10
Speaker
People have a relatively, you know, they understand it for the most, to some degree, where you start throwing some of this other terminology. That's why the EU probably said, us some of these things have got to go, but it can be a bit of a minefield. And so I do worry about that sometimes. Yeah, no, I would agree with you. It's been a ah fun and confusing debate for a couple of years, but we all love the word regenerative, right? So let's encourage the whole world to go regenerative. And if it takes them, you know, and down a different journey and different paths and we all end up at the same place, awesome. Well said. I like that. Now you guys have a dedicated week of the year, organic week, is that what it's called?
Celebrating Organic Products in Canada
00:15:51
Speaker
You know what? We are moving it to a month. It's a month, always. Yeah, we're going to go to a month this year. So it's organic month and it's starting in September. We've been doing this for many, many years. We're on the 15th year of organic being regulated in Canada. So we decided, why not celebrate and go for a month? and So, it's ah it's it's a grand celebration. We do it nationally. It involves basically everybody from farmers to retailers to brands to certifiers to advocacy to students at university level. And it's really just a variety of events and promotions and media attention in regards to, um you know, organic. Love it. Wave that banner.
00:16:36
Speaker
high and far. I love it. There's some a couple companies out here ah run by Ian Walker, Left Coast Naturals, and and I see them in the in the sort of the bulk section a lot of a lot of grocery stores, which is wonderful. And then they've got some of their own products, ah hippie snacks. But people like Ian and his team, they sort of feel like sometimes real outliers where they i mean they champion organic ah loudly and proudly, whereas a lot of brands, even if they do have some organic, um they don't really champion it well. yeah What are some of the opportunities brands have, like like food companies have, to really help consumers get it, that the ingredients that are in their food is you know better-growing and better for them?
00:17:21
Speaker
Well I think you are stating it's like you were in my strategic planning session or something with Ian because um essentially it looks like and we need to simplify the message regarding organic and so we've been doing doing some digital toolkits to really break it down. and ah As part of the Choose Canada website, you can find all sorts of digital toolkits and simple messaging to help the brands kind of really do that storytelling. I think you know that's a big role that we play on trying to like help communicate out, but also help the brands do that storytelling themselves because there's an awesome story to be told. right
00:18:00
Speaker
It's not for the faint of heart getting involved in organic. It does require ah you to have limited choices at times in regards to who you're going to buy from. So you really care about your supply chain. It's not quite the same as just putting out any your old product. So I think that messaging and and getting the community together through organic month celebrations, through other different um opportunities where we come together as a sector really helps to consolidate some of that messaging. When I talk with my daughter about organic, I feel like she gets it even faster than me and sort of that the world is a little simpler for her. And I wonder about like school programs or a curriculum or a way, whether it's through food and nutrition or whether it comes through science, where as a sort of a academic exercise, you know, the children can have fun with it and and learn it more quickly and enjoy the process to learn about their food. um Are you guys involved in programs like that?
Success of the Organic Campus Program
00:18:57
Speaker
Yeah, so we actually started an organic campus program about three years ago. And um of course, we did it at a time that it was nice and quiet during COVID so that we can test it and file it. it But it's taken off now, which is great. And um what is really cool about it is that The campus program is really about procurement and making sure that there's organic available on campus, but also through educational activities and events. And one example is George Brown College. They actually built a whole master's student program. The whole course curriculum was around organic.
00:19:31
Speaker
and taking it to the next level and actually seeking out the organic campus accreditation that we offer. So it's pretty cool to see that you can actually fold in organic education. Of course, there's tons of ah gardening and school programs that happen and you know really just making sure that we've got digestible things for all ages available. so There is a reason that we produce stickers. It's because we're oriented to the kids as well. We're making sure that we're you know speaking to all the audiences because what I remember back in the day was nobody was caring about you know what was going on with Nike right and the child labour going on until the kids spoke.
00:20:10
Speaker
So, and the kids get their parents to recycle now, right? It's like the kids are are that impetus for a lot of things regarding climate change. So I mean, we're really making sure that we're focusing on all generations, but particularly that younger generation. who get it. They get it quick and it's not a debate. And um I think a lot of what I've seen, like now I have a 22 year old and it's commonplace for them to understand organic and to and to really understand the terms regenerative and climate change. That was not the situation when when we were kids, right? So there's a whole new era of young kids that are just much more educated about this environmental stuff going on these days. Yeah, we can learn from them, can't we?
00:20:54
Speaker
the What are some of the other ways that regular folks like us can can participate in the Choose Canada organic ah movement?
Encouraging Organic Practices in Workplaces
00:21:03
Speaker
That's a great question. Well, we always, you know, are looking for new ideas and ways to get involved. One of the things that we are looking at doing as an expansion is to actually look at eventually running like an organic workplace program. And so we're starting a contest ah during organic month this this September. which is actually challenging people to tell us how they're bringing organic into their workplace. So that's kind of the impetus for where we want to go, which is an eventual like actual logging of all businesses that are sourcing organic, that are educating about organic, that are, you know, working with local producers. So I think that's a ah great way is if you've got obviously some, everybody works or is in school somewhere and there's ways to get involved through the programming that we offer.
00:21:49
Speaker
That's so great. Well, thank you for everything that you're doing. I know your team is always working hard to bring these things to life and to make them accessible and fun and easy to learn, which really, really appreciate. So obviously the Choose Canada Organic website is probably the best place for people to go. Is there other places and spaces that you guys will be or that you'd like to point out? Yeah, so I would say that that the best place for consumers is to is to check the website, but also follow all of our socials. We've got really interactive, fun stuff going on there. We always are holding contests and all sorts of giveaways. So, you know, not only can you get get some fun examples into your mouth, we'll also do some ah deep education and just some, you know, continuous learning. So check out our socials.
00:22:37
Speaker
Love it. Tia, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it. Thanks for having me, Corin. Nice to talk. Thanks for listening to this episode of Vile 42. I hope you enjoy listening in to the conversation with Tia. If you'd like to learn more, go to ChooseCanadaOrganic.ca. OK, that's it for me. I'm Corwin Hebert. We're Ethical Food Group, and I'll see you in the future.
00:23:09
Speaker
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