Consumers by now are used to seeing a range of organic fruits and vegetables for sale in their local grocery store, but the most common certified organic product reported by Canadian farmers is probably not what they think.
In fact, the most commonly reported certified organic class consists of field crops and hay, according to
a new study published in the online version of Canadian Agriculture at a Glance. The study analyzed the evolution in the organic farming sector in Canada between 2001 and 2006.
The study, based primarily on data from the 2006 Census of Agriculture, showed that 2,462 farming operations reported growing certified organic field crops and hay, nearly half of them in Saskatchewan.
Canada has a competitive advantage for growing grains and oilseeds because of the climate and large expanses of cropland suited to mechanization. So it makes sense that organic field crops and hay would be the most common certified organic product.
Many of the field crops grown organically are sold internationally - not processed, sold or eaten in Canada.
In 2006, the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada oversaw a study on sales of certified organic products through traditional mainstream supermarkets. It found that in spite of impressive growth, sales of certified organic products accounted for less than 1 percent of the $46.5 billion Canadians spent in national grocery stores in 2006.