Public trust in food safety undermined
As a member of Trade Justice P.E.I., I am writing to express our concerns about changes being proposed by Health Canada that would allow companies to introduce some genetically engineered (mostly gene-edited) foods without any government safety assessment or oversight.
So far, all genetically engineered foods have been reviewed by Health Canada scientists who evaluate data submitted by product developers. But in February, Health Canada announced plans to exempt many geneedited foods from regulation — which apparently it can do by simply changing the definition of “novel foods” in the existing regulatory guidance — no parliamentary debate or vote required!
Health Canada is now proposing that, for genetically engineered plants that have no foreign DNA (most will be gene-edited), companies will not have to seek approval, submit any data, or even inform the government when these plants or foods are being sold to farmers and consumers. Private companies would be allowed to self-regulate and only provide transparency if and when it suits them through a proposed “voluntary transparency initiative.” This will leave oversight of many genetically engineered plants and foods entirely with corporations, many of whom produce not only the seeds that farmers plant but also the pesticides that go along with them.
Removing regulatory requirements will make it cheaper and easier for corporations to get new patented seeds to market, further increasing corporate control and the already huge profits of big agribusinesses like Bayer (Monsanto), Syngenta, and Corteva (DowDupont). These three corporations, alone, already control 48 per cent of the global seed market and 53 per cent of the agrichemical market. And they promote a food system based on industrialized, chemically dependent monocultures which contribute to many global problems such as climate change, soil degradation, water pollution and loss of biodiversity.
Already, in Canada, food manufacturers are not required to label products that contain genetically engineered ingredients. With the proposed regulatory exemptions, Canadians will have no assurance whatsoever that the foods they are purchasing have been properly tested and evaluated by federal government officials working on their behalf. We will not know which foods are produced through genetic engineering or even which genetically engineered foods have or have not been subject to government safety approval.
Trade Justice P.E.I. worries that the “regulatory co-operation councils,” that operate in conjunction with Canada’s current “free trade” agreements, give industry groups a forum to oppose changes to regulations that are not in their interest. As a result, any reversal of the deregulation could be very difficult to implement — regardless of public pressure from Canadians or even any emergence of new evidence that certain genetically engineered crops are having unintended negative impacts on people’s health, welfare, or on the environment.
In addition, legal claims could potentially be brought against Canada under those trade agreements that include Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms if Canada decided to reverse the exemptions or bring in new oversight regulations down the road.
Canada’s experience during the COVID pandemic has reinforced the need for public trust in strong public institutions that safeguard public interest and safety. These proposals to remove regulation and diminish public oversight for food production represent a definite step backwards.
Instead, the federal government should strengthen oversight and review by independent government scientists of any new crops or foods proposed for sale.
That’s the way to encourage safety, transparency and fairness in our food supply so that Canadians can trust what they’re buying. All Canadians who are concerned about the changes proposed by Health Canada need to let their members of Parliament know that they want a stronger food approval system — not a weaker one. Concerned citizens can also write to Health Canada at: hc.bmh-bdm.sc@canada.ca or see www.cban.ca/NoExemptions to sign a letter to the minister of Health.
Trudy White, of Iris, P.E.I., is a member of Trade Justice P.E.I., a coalition of community groups and individuals concerned about Canada’s current international trade agenda and who believe that it’s time for trade that is more democratic and environmentally sustainable, more supportive of a transition to a carbon neutral economy in which workers receive their fair share of the benefits, and which is more respectful of the rights of Indigenous peoples.