COPES (Certified Organic Produce Export Strategy program), based in California, held its first seminar this past November. The main focus was on opening the organic markets in both Europe and Japan for U.S. growers. One important point made was that shippers should understand both their prospective consumers as well as the import requirements for each individual country before attempting to open a new market. Japan, for example, has stringent phytosanitary standards and package labeling much different than producers are accustomed to in the United States. COPES will be conducting several other seminars in the near future.

The U.S. based Organic Trade Association is calling on the Canadian organics industry to create a mandatory requirement for Canadian products to meet regulatory standards set by the Canadian government. This would unify Canada’s organic standards and create a program similar to the National Organic Program that began in the U.S. in 2002. The current organic certification process is voluntary. Mandatory standards would facilitate trade with other countries like the US that already have such standards in place.