Genetically Modified Food in Canada

A trip to any supermarket in Canada will reveal nothing out of ordinary, just the usual of array of fresh and packaged goods displayed in an inviting manner to attract customers. Everything appear familiar and reassuring, right? Think again. A closer microscopic inspection discloses something novel, a fundamental revolution in food technology. The technology is genetic engineering (GE), also known as biotechnology. Blue prints (DNA) of agricultural crops are altered and “spliced” with foreign genes to produce transgenic crops. Foods harvested from these agricultural plants are called, genetically modified (GM). Presently, Canada has no consumer notification; GM foods are being slipped to Canada’s foods without any labels or adequate risk assessments. This essay argues that GM foods should be rigorously and independently tested for safety; and, consumers be given the right to choose or reject GM foods through mandatory labels. What is the need for impartial examination of safety of transgenic foods? And why label them? GM foods are not “substantially equivalent” to conventional foods, genetic engineering of agricultural crops is not a mere extension of traditional plant breeding, and finally, there are human health implications associated with it.

Modern biotechnology was born at the hands of American scientists Herb Boyer and Stain Cohen, when they developed “recombinant deoxyribonucleotide, (rDNA), [1] for medicinal purposes. Subsequently, biotechnologists started genetically engineering agricultural plants using this technology. A single gene responsible for a certain trait, from one organism (usually a bacterium) is selected altered and then ‘spliced” into the DNA of a plant to create an agricultural crop consisting of that...

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...ad in the powerful world of genetic modification with caution. Health Canada should follow the “precautionary principle” just like the European Union nations. Under this principle, a transgene food is segregated from its traditional counterparts, and is prevented from entering consumer market until unbiased risk assessments test can vouch for its safety. European Union safety authority, (EFSA), strictly regulates GM foods; only a handful of GM foods are released into the market . Most importantly, all food products containing more than 0.9 percent of GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) are labelled [brown journal of world affairs]. GM foods are scrutinized even further by a post market monitoring plan. Like EU, Canadian regulatory agencies should respect consumers’ right to know what they are eating by labeling all foods containing altered gene materials.