GMO labelling rules unlikely to change soon

by SUSAN MANN

No matter what their perspective on genetically modified foods, industry experts agree that an international commission’s decision to issue labelling guidelines for foods derived from biotechnology won’t alter Canada’s approach to the foods.

Last week, the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted new labelling guidelines for foods derived from biotechnology with the caveat that its 180 member governments can adopt their own approach to labelling genetically modified foods. Funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the Commission develops food standards, guidelines and related texts under the joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.

Forty to 50 countries around the world have mandatory labelling for genetically engineered foods, including many European countries, Japan, Korea, and China, says Matthew Holmes, executive director of the Canada Organic Trade Association. In Canada, however, Health Canada requires genetically modified products to be evaluated for food safety before they can be sold but does not require them to be labelled.

Holmes says the Canada Organic Trade Association has always advocated for labelling. “We think consumers have the right to know.” Currently “consumers choose organic because it’s the only thing that really lets them know that it has been grown without genetically engineered crops or traits,” he says.

Because it’s voluntary, the new agreement won’t change Canada’s position on the issue, says Lucy Sharratt, coordinator for the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. It “just means Canada and the United States are increasingly isolated in the world in our approach to genetic modification,” she says.

Ontario Agri-Food Technologies president Gord Surgeoner says the country isn’t out of step with the rest of the world on genetic modification. He points out that along with Canada and the United States, Latin America use engineered products.

Surgeoner says for the genetically modified crops being grown now there have never been any documented, scientifically validated issues associated with food safety.  When consumers were asked in recent surveys what more they’d want to see on food labels, just eight per cent said genetic modification, he says.

Establishing mandatory labelling of genetically engineered foods in Canada would be complex and expensive, he says. For example, it’s impossible to detect whether Round-up Ready soybeans were used in making pure soybean oil, he points out.

Mandatory labelling would also create problems in food categories lacking genetically modified product labels, such as apples or pears, he adds. Consumers may assume products lacking are genetically engineered, Surgeoner explains. “We want labelling to determine if there’s any risk. We can’t find any risk to the public.”

Grain Farmers of Ontario CEO Barry Senft says farmers would need premiums to cover the costs of segregating their crops if genetic modification labelling is introduced. Currently 40 per cent of Ontario’s soybean crop is food grade with farmers getting premiums to segregate their crop and meet their customers’ specific requirements. “It’s fine if segregation takes place and there are premiums for farmers, but if that isn’t the case it might shut farmers out of some of these markets,” he says.

Grain Farmers considers Health Canada’s approval process sufficient control for genetically modified products, he adds.

Although proponents of labelling genetically modified foods will continue asking for it, certified organic farmer Ann Slater of St. Marys acknowledges, “any chance for us having genetically modified food labelling in Canada is a long ways off.”

However, the new agreement will affect Canada’s ability to challenge labelling laws in other countries Slater and Sharratt note. The guidelines will give the countries that adopt them protection from World Trade Organization challenges. That means national measures based on Codex guidelines or standards can’t be successfully challenged as a barrier to trade, says Sharratt. BF