Demand for organic products growing

(NC)-A new expanded line of 100 percent organic herbs, spices and seasonings has hit store shelves across the country as part of a trend to meet a growing demand by Canadian consumers for healthier, better tasting organic products.

Demand for organic products is growing, where 52 percent of Canadian households bought an organic product in the past year, up from 46 percent the previous year. And according to Ipsos Reid in a June 2006 Hot Trends study, 45 percent of Canadians claim to always, usually or sometimes opt for an organic product when it is available.

More than 400 chemical pesticides are used in conventional farming, where organic farming does not use chemicals.

And organic food, on average, contains higher levels of vitamin C and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium as well as cancer-fighting antioxidants. And organic standards do not allow genetically modified crops and ingredients.

The McCormick Gourmet 100 percent organic line of herbs, spices and seasonings, certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI), includes 29 varieties such as Turkish bay leaves, coriander, cayenne pepper, Chinese ginger, cinnamon from Saigon, cloves, cumin, Italian seasoning, marjoram leaves, red pepper, and rosemary from Spain.

"We've expanded our organic line from eight varieties in 2002 to 29 today to satisfy increasing demand from Canadian consumers for organic products that have eliminated or minimized chemicals, are healthier and taste better," says John Szustaczek, product manager, McCormick Canada. "Our team has more than 100 years of spice buying experience and our buyers travel to more than 30 countries to source the finest, 100 percent organic herbs, spices and seasonings."."

"And if it doesn't say "100 percent organic" on the bottle, then between five and 30 per ent of the contents can be non-organic," notes Szustaczek.

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, if the label claims the product is 100 percent organic, then 100 percent of the ingredients must be organic. If a label claims to be "organic" then a minimum of 95 percent of the ingredients must be organic and up to five percent can be non-organic. If a product claims to be "Made with Organic Ingredients" then a minimum of 70 percent of the ingredients must be organic.