CFIA approves grassfed label

Ottawa, Ont. – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved the first Canadian certification label for grassfed meat.

The label was developed by U.S. certifying body Animal Welfare Approved (AWA). It guarantees that meat comes from an animal raised entirely outdoors on pasture, and fed a 100-per-cent grass and forage diet. Participating producers under the program are audited annually to ensure compliance.

According to AWA, endorsement of the certification label will bring “a new standard” to grassfed labels in Canada. Currently use of the term “grassfed” on labels is not regulated, something AWA says leads to differing standards and consumer confusion.

“With the increasing demand for authentic grassfed meat, we sensed a need for a market‐based solution that would enable high welfare, grassfed farming businesses to differentiate their products in the marketplace,” says AWA program director Andrew Gunther. “Although other grassfed labels and claims exist, none match the integrity and transparency offered by the Animal Welfare Approved Grassfed standards and certification procedures.”

TK Ranch, a beef and lamb farm near Hanna, Alta., is the first Canadian producer to achieve the Animal Welfare Approved Grassfed certification.