Canada quiet about mandatory GM food labelling

It’s a decades-old topic that many in the ag industry would prefer to never hear again, but it’s gained new profile since a recent U.S. decision on the mandatory labelling of genetically modified organisms. The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), which is opposed to GMOs as food, recently reported on a U.S. Federal Court of Appeals ruling in California that eliminates exemptions from mandatory labelling of GMOs in grocery stores. According to the release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture had previously exempted “highly-refined” or “ultra-processed” GM food such as corn and soy oil from a mandatory disclosure rule for GM food, an action the court deemed unlawful. The release also cited a recent poll by market research company Leger showing 83 per cent of Canadians want mandatory labelling of GMOs. CBAN said the U.S. decision is likely to “bring more pressure to bear” on Canadian regulators to introduce mandatory GMO labelling, which currently does not exist in Canada. ...