A few years ago, we did not find organic food that in some health food stores and the choice offered was quite limited. Today, the distribution channels are organized. Several large chains ofgrocery have sections of certified organic products: fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, flour, eggs, milk and dairy products, as well as a range of processed products ranging from pasta and cookies to soy drinks. The meat market is developing more slowly. But we find, in some butchers, chicken, beef, veal or pork, sometimes sausages, all more in frozen form. Some fishmongers also offer certified organic farmed fish.

Along with the large distribution networks, small direct sales networks, from producer to consumer, have been established. People are moving to the farm, when possible, to obtain the organic foods produced there. They can also receive, through a producer from their region, an organic basket, delivered each week to a drop-off point near their home. This is called “Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)”.

Le organic basket usually contains products cultivated by the producer, to which are added local products and imported. The content varies throughout the season, depending on the varieties available and the prices. The cost of the subscription is usually split into 2 or 3 installments. So everyone wins. The producer has money at the time of sowing and he is sure to find a taker for his future harvests. The consumer benefits from a supply of fresh at a good price since there are no intermediaries.

Participating in a CHW network also means buying mainly locally produced food, which helps reduce the ecological footprint by minimizing the long journeys that food make before it ends up on the shelves of large grocery stores (see box below).

In Quebec, the Équiterre organization connects producers and consumers interested in participating in CSA programs.¹. Équiterre’s ASC network includes 115 “ family farmers Which offer the fruit of their harvest or their breeding to nearly 10 citizens. In addition, 800 others offer products that can be added in additional orders (eg: honey, apple products, cheeses, etc.). Nearly 30 drop-off points are established across 390 regions of Quebec.

Watch out for your ecological footprint!

“Organic”, is it necessarily synonymous with “ecological”? Organic lettuce that has traveled 5 km before it ends up on your plate may be less “ecological” than lettuce, grown industrially, which comes from a local producer. The same goes for the California strawberry we buy in January.

Who says distance, indeed says energy consumption. Organic agricultural products seem to find buyers above all in local markets. This is no doubt due to the fact that this type of agriculture is largely the work of small producers.

No less than 79% of organic vegetables travel less than 160 km from farm to table according to the US Department of Agriculture. On the other hand, almost 50% of organic animal products, including eggs and dairy products, travel more than 800 km.¹¹.