How are genetically modified foods regulated in Canada?
• The safety of food is overseen by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada. • Labelling is voluntary in Canada rather than mandatory. In Canada, the application of biotechnology is generally regarded as an extension of existing breeding techniques. As a result, the existing regulatory framework applied to traditional food products is also seen to be suitable for biotechnology products. For example, a tomato that has been genetically engineered for longer shelf life is regarded as no different from a non-modified tomato (that is, they are seen to be “substantially equivalent”) so both are regulated in the same way. Novel foods or genetically altered crops must pass a safety assessment before entering the market. However, because these product applications are seen to be substantially no different from their traditional counterparts, Canada has not required the labelling of these genetically modified products. The government allows “voluntary labelling” at this point. That
