The United States (U.S.) has an equivalence arrangement with Canada. The equivalence arrangement grants USDA certified organic products access to Canada’s market and grants Canada Organic Regime (COR) certified organic products access to the U.S. market. This means that organic products certified through the entire supply chain to either the USDA or Canadian organic standards may be labeled and sold as organic in both countries, as long as the products meet the terms of the arrangement.
Scope. The scope indicates what products are eligible for trade under the arrangement.
To be eligible for export to Canada, USDA certified organic products must:
- Be raised or produced in the United States;
- Have final processing or packaging occur within the United States; or
- Be produced or have the final processing or packaging occur within a third country in compliance with the terms of this arrangement.
To be eligible for export to the U.S., COR certified organic products must:
- Be raised or produced in Canada;
- Have final processing or packaging occur within Canada; or
- Be produced or have the final processing or packaging occur within a third country in compliance with the terms of this arrangement.
Allowed product categories: Crops, Wild Crops, Livestock, and Processed Products.
Terms of the Arrangement. Generally, all USDA and COR certified organic products are eligible for trade under this equivalence, but there are some stipulations.
The following are additional requirements for certified organic products exported to the U.S.:
- Agricultural products derived from animals treated with antibiotics shall not be sold, labeled, or represented as organic in the U.S.
The following are additional requirements certified organic products exported to Canada:
- Agricultural products produced with the use of sodium nitrate shall not be sold or marketed as organic in Canada.
- Agricultural products produced by hydroponic or aeroponic production methods shall not be sold or marketed as organic in Canada.
- Agricultural products derived from nonruminant animals must be produced according to livestock stocking rates as set out in the Canadian organic regulations, CAN /CGSB32.310-2020.
- The U.S.-Canada organic equivalence arrangement (USCOEA) does not extend to the USDA recognition agreements with Israel and New Zealand. USDA organic products certified by Israel and New Zealand accredited certification bodies are for direct export to the U.S. only. See the Government of Canada website for more information.
- Aquatic plants are eligible for USDA organic certification under the crop standards (Policy Memo 12-1) and may be sold or marketed as organic in Canada.
Trade Documentation
Exports of USDA Organic Products. U.S. organic products exported to Canada must be accompanied by an organic certificate issued by a USDA-accredited certifying agent recognized under the terms of the U.S.-Canada equivalence arrangement. The organic certificate addendum issued by the USDA certifying agent must identify which products meet the terms of the U.S.-Canada equivalence arrangement and include the following attestation statement:
“Certified in accordance with the terms of the U.S.-Canada Organic Equivalency Arrangement.”
See requirements for USDA organic products exported to Canada outlined on the Government of Canada website.
U.S. Imports of COR Organic Products.
COR products imported to the U.S. must be associated with an electronic organic import certificate, called the NOP Import Certificate. Import certificates can be generated by a COR-accredited certification body in the NOP’s GLOBAL Organic Integrity Database. The documentation must include the following attestation statement:
“Certified in compliance with the terms of the U.S.-Canada Organic Equivalency Arrangement.”
For all COR-certified organic products produced and/or handled in India that are exported to the U.S.:
- COR certifiers and operations are responsible for verifying the organic integrity of all shipments coming into the U.S. under the equivalence arrangement. TraceNet certificates are a Government of India requirement (pdf) for products to be exported from India as organic, and are an important tool in this verification.
- The NOP Import Certificate, required for all organic products imported to the U.S., is also an important tool that can help assess compliance.
- COR certifiers and operations are also expected to require any other documentation necessary to demonstrate compliance of the full supply chain, which may include COR and USDA organic certificates, and other supply chain documentation (e.g., load quantities, lot numbers, production sources, other supply chain records), and the required TraceNet certificates.
For more information about importing organic products from India to the U.S., see the NOP’s International Trade Policies: India webpage.
Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mexico recognizing the two national organic systems as equivalent. Mexican organic products certified to the Mexican organic standard and imported to Canada cannot be re-exported to the U.S. or used as ingredients in products destined for the U.S. market under the U.S.-Canada Organic Equivalency Arrangement. See Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)’s website for an overview and more details of this arrangement.
Labeling. For retail products, labels or stickers must state the name of the U.S. or Canadian certifying agent and may use the USDA organic seal or the Canada organic logo. All product labels for USDA exports to Canada must be in English and French. Please review the Canadian labeling requirements provided below.
Oversight. The NOP and CFIA assess each other’s systems on a regular basis to ensure that the terms of the arrangement are being met and equivalence is maintained. Both parties notify each other of any changes which could affect the terms of the arrangement. Any concerns are addressed by the Organic Working Group, which meets regularly and includes experts from both countries.
Peer Reviews. Since the establishment of the U.S.- Canada Equivalence Arrangement in June 2009, the NOP and CFIA have conducted mutual peer reviews. These assessments verify that both markets are meeting the terms of the arrangement.
Peer Review Reports:
Historical Documents
- Equivalency Amendment: Letter to U.S. (pdf)
- Equivalency Arrangement Letter to: Canada (pdf) | U.S. (pdf)
Contact Information
Questions for interpretation regarding the current Canadian Organic Standards can be submitted by email: cfia.opr-rpb.acia@canada.ca
Resources