If you're feeling a little more green than usual this week — it's not just you.
From Sept. 22 to Sept. 29, Canada celebrates their third annual National Organic Week, bringing attention to organic food and farming from coast to coast. Organized by Canadian Organic Growers and the Canada Organic Trade Association (COT), the week also raises awareness of Canada's changing organic agricultural sector and its impact on the environment.
"We wanted to carry the message to the public to think about organic products and about the farms and brands making organic products all across the country, " says Matthew Holmes, executive director of the COT.
From 2006 to 2010, the Canadian organic consumer market grew from $1 billion to $2.6 billion, according to a fact sheet created by the organizers. The fact sheet also reveals that Ontario is Canada's largest consumer market for organic products and Quebec has seen the biggest growth.
Under Canadian Organic Standards, producers who want to use the Canada Organic logo must follow specific guidelines before labelling and selling their products, according to CBC.ca. Some standards include products must have at least 95 per cent organic content, multi-ingredient products must have 70 to 95 per cent organic content and organic ingredients must be certified, according to CBC.ca.
"A lot of consumers who eat organic foods are new parents or couples expecting a child," Holmes tells The Huffington Post Canada, adding that parents frequently ask questions about the best foods for their kids.
A heavily debated study from Stanford University earlier this month claimed that organic food wasn't any healthier than conventionally grown food. Causing uproar between companies and advocate groups, some petitions even claimed the study dismissed potential health consequences of genetically modified foods, high fructose corn syrup and other additives found in conventionally grown foods.
Even if don't you purchase everything with an organic label, Holmes suggests to start reading labels and ingredients of food products you pick up from grocery shelves. He also recommends buying organic dairy, meats, corns, soy and white sugar, because of pesticide levels.
Do you buy all your foods organic? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below.
LOOK: The best foods in season this September. Holmes recommends buying organic fruits and vegetables:
