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A 20-year international battle to prevent food labels from revealing the presence of genetically modified ingredients has ended, but Canadian consumers will continue to be left in the dark.
On Tuesday, the United States dropped its opposition to guidelines from the world's food safety regulatory agencies on the labeling of food derived from modern biotechnology.
Canada, like the United States, is among the largest international producers of genetically modified food, but it gave up the fight last year after arguing against GM labeling for more than a decade.
But the guidelines issued by the Codex Alimentarius Commission - a collection of more than 100 agencies that monitor food safety around the world - are voluntary. And Health Canada, which is responsible for food safety in this country, has no plans to require labels on food sold here to be rewritten to indicate the presence of genetically modified organisms.
Stephane Shank, a Health Canada spokesman, said his department would require labeling of GM food products only if there was a clear, scientifically established health risk, or if the genetic modification significantly altered the nutritional value.
"To date," he said, "Health Canada has not identified health risks associated with GM foods that have been approved for sale in Canada."
Nearly 70 per cent of the foods that Canadians eat have genetically modified components, and most scientists agree there is no valid research to prove they pose any sort of health threat.
Voluntary Guidelines to Allow for Labeling of World's Genetically Modified Foods
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By Gloria Galloway
The Globe and Mail, July 5, 2011
Straight to the Source
