Representatives from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture agreed last week to ease restrictions on the trade of organic products between the United States and Canada.

Under the new agreement, organic products that carry the USDA Organic or the Canada Organic Biologique seals may pass freely between the two countries, meaning that producers certified to each country’s respective organic standards will not have to re-certify in order to export to the other.

"This agreement not only sets the stage for standards equivalency for organic shippers in the U.S. and Canada, but also simplifies marketing messaging for consumers," said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for United Fresh.

For more on the agreement, please visit the USDA-AMS website at http://ams.usda.gov.