In accordance with the criteria of the relevant specifications manual, businesses involved in the production, preparation, bulk sales or packaging of products carrying a reserved designation must obtain certification for these products. This is granted further to an inspection carried out by a certification body accredited by the Conseil.
The certification procedure includes an assessment of documents (production and/or preparation plan, inputs, labels, recipes, registers, etc.) and an annual inspection of the site of operations to ensure that businesses involved in production or preparation activities comply with the requirements of the current standards or specification manuals. Accredited certification bodies also carry out unannounced inspections and sample taking according to risk criteria.
Certification bodies are private businesses that must establish and disseminate a fee grid. They also see that certification principles are applied equitably and without discrimination to all applicants. Fees vary from one certification body to another; contact certification bodies for more information about their services and their certification fees.
All certification bodies accredited in Québec are listed below. The list is divided into two sections: certification bodies responsible for the Organic designation and certification bodies responsible for other designations.
To find out about the services offered by the various accredited bodies, we suggest you consult their websites and, to obtain full details, contact them directly.
The Organic Designation
The following certification bodies are accredited to certify organic products in Québec in accordance with the Specifications for the Organic designation in Québec, which includes the following Canadian technical standards: CAN/CGSB 32.310; CAN/CGSB 32.311 and CAN/CGSB 32.312.
Ecocert Canada
4060, boulevard Guillaume-Couture, bureau 201
Lévis (Québec) G6W 6N2
Canada
ecocert.ca
Since October 23, 2008
Accreditation scope
Letis S.A.
1285, Urquiza Street
Planta Alta, Rosario (Santa Fe), CP 2000
Argentina
letis.org
Since September 2, 2008
Accreditation scope
Organisme de certification Québec-Vrai (OCQV)
5300, boulevard des Galeries, bureau 210
Québec (Québec) G2K 2A2
Canada
quebecvrai.org
Since October 11, 2000
Accreditation scope
Pro-Cert Organic Systems Ltd.
475, Valley Road, Box 100A, RR #3
Saskatoon (Saskatchewan) S7K 3J6
Canada
pro-cert.org
Since May 31, 2006
Accreditation scope
Quality Assurance International inc. (QAI)
c/o NSF International
789, Dixboro Road
Ann Arbor (Michigan) 48105
United States
qai-inc.com
Since June 14, 1999
Accreditation scope
TransCanada Organic Certification Services (TCO Cert)
618, Main Street
Humboldt (Saskatchewan) S0K 2A0
Canada
tcocert.ca
Since March 1st, 2014
Accreditation scope
Other reserved designations
The certification body Ecocert Canada is accredited to certify the following reserved designation products:
- PGI Agneau de Charlevoix
- PGI Cidre de glace du Québec
- DS Canadienne Cow Cheese
- PGI Neuville Sweet Corn
- PGI Québec Icewine
The certification body Québec Vrai is accredited to certify the following reserved designation product:
- TV Farmstead cheese
Are you seeking to sell organic products in Canada or abroad?
Under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for accrediting certification bodies authorized to certify organic products when these are sold outside their province of origin in Canada or imported (interprovincial and international trade). Products imported into and marketed in Canada are subject to the same rules. They must meet the requirements of the Canada Organic Regime or come from a country that has signed an equivalence agreement. For a list of accredited certification bodies, see the CFIA website.
Since the Accreditation Service (CAEQ) of the Conseil des Appellations Réservées et des Termes Valorisants is recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as a compliance verification body under the Canada Organic Regime, any certification body evaluated by the CAEQ in accordance with CFIA criteria may be accredited by the CFIA and appear on the list of accredited certification bodies.
Two frequently confused terms: certification and accreditation
Certification is an attestation granted by a competent independent certification body to a business wishing to use a reserved designation or added-value claim for its products. The certification body ensures that specifications (standards) are being complied with by the business by means of periodic inspections.
Accreditation is a check of the activities of a certification body carried out by an accreditation body. Its purpose is to guarantee that the work of certification is done competently and impartially. Specific, standardized rules must be observed.