Canada's Organic Identity Theme of Conference
January 25, 2010 - News Release
Organic is green, but is it good? Following adoption last year of new organic standards in Canada, experts will discuss the values and ethics of organic production during the 2010 Guelph Organic Conference Jan. 28-31 at the University of Guelph.
"Our Canadian Organic Identity" is the theme of the 29th annual conference, expo and tasting fair, to be held on campus. Conference organizers hope to raise awareness of new Canadian organic standards. Under those rules, products must be certified as organic before they may be specially labeled or traded between provinces or internationally.
A public forum to discuss organic ethics and the market's profit motive will take place Jan. 29, 7 p.m., in Thornbrough 1200. Panellists will be author Margaret Webb, silver award-winner at the 2009 Cuisine Canada Book Awards for Apples to Oysters: A Food Lover's Tour of Canadian Farms; Dag Falck, program manager with Nature's Path Foods based in Richmond, B.C.; Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm in New Hampshire; and Maureen Giffen, owner-operator of Edencrest organic farm near Minesing, Ont.
Webb will deliver the keynote address about organic food and a national food policy Jan. 30, 9 a.m., in Rozanski Hall.
The conference will include more than 30 workshops and more than 150 trade show exhibitors in the University Centre. Workshop topics will include organic production and certification, climate change, farmland protection and food security. Last year's event attracted more than 1,750 farmers, distributors, retailers, advocates and students.
The Organic Trade Association in Canada and Stonyfield Farm will provide a special showing of Food, Inc., a movie about the North American food industry produced in 2009 by Robert Kenner, Jan. 28, 8:45 p.m., at the Bookshelf theatre. More information is available online.
For media questions, Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, Ext. 53338, lhunt@uoguelph.ca, or Deirdre Healey, Ext. 56982, d.healey@exec.uoguelph.ca
