Arran Stephens's passion for organics began on his family's Vancouver Island berry farm.

He founded Nature's Path, an organic cereal company, in 1985 -- the first third-party certified organic producer in Canada.

"My father said, when I was a boy, always leave the soil better than you found it," he said. "We've blazed a trail where few have dared to go."

But now, it seems like everyone wants in on the trail. Large conventional food companies have been moving aggressively to take over small organic companies.

They often keep the 'organic' name intact, so consumers don't know what's happening.

For example, Odwalla, a maker of organic juices, was taken over by Coca-Cola a few years ago.

That fact is left out of the "Odwalla History" on the Odwalla website.

Nature's Path has been a target of takeover offers, too.

"We get approached almost weekly and sometimes more than weekly by large food companies," said Stephens.

"They want to buy us out but we're not for sale. We're not for sale at any cost," he said.

Large players mean more competition for organic raw materials, like wheat.

So Nature's Path has hired a full-time agrologist whose sole job is to convince farmers to switch to organic.

The lure: a guaranteed buyer and more money.

Nature's Path is also buying up farmland and converting it themselves.

Organic producers like Stephens have been asking the Canadian government for a national organics program for years, hoping to give the industry needed credibility and access to overseas markets.

"In the past, there were no rules. It was a voluntary system and a voluntary system opens everything up to abuse," said Stephens.

It's finally happening. A symbol will start appearing on Canadian organic products in December.

To be certified organic, 95 per cent or more of the ingredients must be organic.

You can say 'made with organic ingredients' if you have at least 70 per cent organic content.

Homeowners can use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers, so going organic really can start at home.

Stephens knows consumers have a limit to how much more they'll pay for organics.

So to remain competitive, Nature's Path relies on very efficient processing, automating it as much as possible.

"You might find either no different at all or you might find a 10 to 15 per cent premium," said Stephens. "That's something I think consumers are willing to pay for to have safer food."

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen