Janice Tranberg, CropLife Canada’s vice-president for Western Canada, told The Hill Times that calls for mandatory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods would be an unnecessary cost to industry and consumers.
“We have been eating these products for nearly 20 years and there have been no reported cases of harm. These are some of the most highly-scrutinized foods that we’ve been eating ever in the history of food,” she said.
MPs skeptical of the safety of GM foods have made repeated efforts to introduce a mandatory labelling regime for such foods over successive Parliaments. Since 2001, seven private members’ bills proposing to amend the Food and Drugs Act to require GM food labelling have been introduced, but none have made it beyond first reading in the House of Commons.
Most recently, NDP MP Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, B.C.) introduced Bill C-257 in 2011. It would require the minister of Health to publish approved GM foods in the Canada Gazette, and require GM foods to carry a label identifying them as containing genetically modified components or be placed in a “genetically modified” section.
“It’s important for us to know as consumers, if what we buy off the shelf contains GMOs or not so that we can make the right choice,” Mr. Atamanenko recently said in an interview with The Hill Times.
Australia, Brazil, South Korea, and a majority of the European Union’s 27 members require foods containing GM components to be labelled, but Canada and the United States do not.
Ms. Tranberg said that North American consumers do have the choice to shop in organic food sections and specialty stores.
“Consumers do have a choice, and the choice right now is through the regulated organic regime. Organic foods do not have GMOs in them, so they have a choice to purchase organic foods,” she said.
Opponents of GM foods have criticized Canada’s regulatory regime for “rubber stamping” GM food approvals and argue that research into the long-term effects of GM food consumption is inadequate.
“My concern is that an overwhelming amount of research done on GMOs is by industry. Our government accepts the findings of that research and we approve them for release into the environment. Neither Health Canada nor Agriculture Canada does any independent studies,” Mr. Atamanenko said.
Under the current regulatory regime, proponents introducing a new GM food to market go through an eight-stage process with regulatory authorities that can take up to 10 years for approval. Health Canada is responsible for approving GM foods, while the Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulates GM seeds and livestock.
Proponents are responsible for conducting scientific assessments of GM products. However, Health Canada is responsible for reviewing evaluations and request more information.
Ms. Tranberg disputed claims that Health Canada’s oversight of GM food marketing was insufficient.
“It takes seven to 10 years for a product to get through the regulatory review and all the studies that need to be done, so that when the products go out we can be sure that they’re safe,” said Ms. Tranberg, whose organization has been lobbying the federal government to reform the current regulatory regime for GM food and crop approval.
She estimates that it can take up to 13 years for a product to move from research to commercialization, at a cost of up to $150-million to the proponent.
“Many of these companies are global in nature, and they can go anywhere in the world that they want to. Having a system that’s predictable, transparent, and efficient encourages companies to do their research and bring research dollars here to Canada. That’s what we’re trying to work on,” she said.
The Conservative government has been consistent in its support and receptiveness to the concerns of the agricultural biotechnology industry, and in the last election the Liberal Party did not propose mandatory labelling of GM foods.
It’s unclear whether or not Mr. Atamanenko’s position is shared by his New Democrat colleagues. The three-term MP does not have a critic portfolio in the NDP caucus and it remains to be seen if his party will include GM food labelling in its next election platform.
In 2011, the party did include GM food labelling in its election platform.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.) also supports GM food labelling. In a recent interview with The Hill Times she disputed industry claims that such foods were conclusively found to be safe.
“Consumers should have an absolute right to know what’s in the foods they’re purchasing,” Ms. May said.
Four GM crops are currently approved for cultivation in Canada: corn, soybean, canola, and sugar beet.
“If you’re eating foods that contain those products, there’s a good chance that they have been genetically modified,” Ms. Tranberg said.
Efforts to approve GM alfalfa are currently being challenged by organic farmers who fear the introduction of the crop would “contaminate” organic alfalfa crops through pollination.
Original Article
Source: hilltimes.com
Author: CHRIS PLECASH
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