§ 344

(1) Any person who wishes to obtain the organic certification of a food commodity must apply in writing to a certification body.

(2) The application must include (a) the name of the food commodity; (b) a statement that sets out the substances and materials that are used to conduct any activities with respect to the food commodity and that describes the manner in which those substances and materials are used; (c) a document that sets out in detail the methods that are used by the applicant, or by a person acting on behalf of the applicant, to conduct any activities with respect to the food commodity and the control mechanisms that are in place to ensure that those methods meet the requirements that are set out (i) in the case of an aquaculture product, in CAN/CGSB-32.312, and (ii) in the case of a food commodity other than an aquaculture product, in CAN/CGSB-32.310; (d) in the case where a person packages and labels the food commodity on behalf of the applicant, the name of the person and a copy of the certificate referred to in subsection 348(2) that they hold; and (e) in the case of a multi-ingredient food commodity, a statement that sets out its composition and the percentage of its contents that are organic products.

(3) In the case of an application for the organic certification of a food commodity, the application must be filed within 12 months before the day on which the food commodity is expected to be sold or, in the case of an application for the organic certification of any of the following food commodities, at least 15 months before that day: (a) maple products; (b) field crops or crops that are grown in greenhouses with an in-ground permanent soil system; (c) wild crops within the meaning of CAN/CGSB-32.312; and (d) aquaculture products with a production cycle of more than 12 months.