As the representative from the Canada Organic Trade Association, I was on an organic mission at the SIAL Montreal trade show to discover more organic! I was proud to lead two conference sessions dedicated to organic and one Expert Hub conversation.
In walking the trade show floor and reviewing the Show Guide, I was delighted to meet many of the organic companies displaying at SIAL Montreal in April.
The event kicked off with my joining Jane Dummer, RD, fellow SIAL Expert, to have ‘An Organic Conversation.’ We centred our discussion on labeling and consumer choice. We highlighted three SIAL exhibitors who were SIAL Innovation finalists. Alternative Kitchen - Finalist, Tempehine – Silver Award, and Paramo Snacks – Sustainability Award. These innovative companies are making the hard choice by choosing to use organic ingredients in their consumer products. Congratulations!
Presenting the Canadian Organic Market Report 2021 with Nicolas Lopez, Research Director at Leger, we shared some key facts from the report with a focus on consumer demand and public trust in organic.
Did you know that Canada is the sixth largest organic market in the world and valued over $8 Billion. With two thirds of Canadians buying organic weekly, this is a sustainable food choice that has significant market impact and is growing. The Canada Organic Trade Association is the Canadian organic market research specialist working hard to gain understanding into the organic sector and making these insights available through the purchase of the report.
With three organic sector pioneers and leaders in their respective fields, we explored the ‘Current State of Organics in Canada.’ Vincent Breton of DuBreton, Sylvain Dufour of Fruit d’Or/Patience Fruit & Co, and Pascal Désilets of Fromagerie L’Ancêtre, whose fresh Cheddar cheese curds won gold at the SIAL International Cheese Awards.
In a lively panel discussion format, these three speakers explored a series of questions that dug deep on why they choose organic. These organic business leaders shared their industry insights into the organic market space, described their involvement in organic, explored the rewards and challenges, and shared their predictions for the future. It was a truly inspirational session that will encourage others to also make the commitment to choose organic.
It was heartening to see many established and new companies working in the organic space both domestically and internationally.
Written by Kim DeLallo, our Member Relations & Business Development Manager
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