Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have determined that AquAdvantage Salmon “is as safe and nutritious for humans and livestock as conventional salmon.” Approving the genetically engineered (GE) salmon for sale in Canada, the two agencies cited a similar decision issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November 2015. “Health Canada requires labelling for food products, including genetically modified foods, where clear, scientifically established health risks or significant changes to the nutritional qualities of the food have been identified and can be mitigated through labelling,” concludes the agency. “In this case, given that no health and safety concerns were identified, there are no special labeling requirements for AquAdvantage Salmon.” See Health Canada News Release, May 19, 2016. Issue 605
Tag Archives Canada
The Center for Food Safety, Food & Water Watch and Friends of the Earth (FOE) have authored a May 28, 2015, letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claiming that a draft risk assessment conducted by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) questions the health and welfare of AquaBounty Technologies Inc.’s genetically modified (GM) salmon. According to FOE, the “never-before-seen” environmental review concludes that AquaBounty’s GM salmon are not only “more susceptible to Aeromonas salmonicida, a type of disease-causing bacteria,” but exhibit “diminished growth rates” and “widely varied performance.” The assessment also reportedly registers “uncertainty” about the function of the gene construct, in addition to faulting the management and operation of AquaBounty facilities for allegedly failing to supply “internal compliance documentation, such as a daily check-list to ensure that all relevant mechanical barriers are in place and functioning properly.” As a result of these findings, the…
The United States has appealed the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) ruling in favor of Canada and Mexico in a dispute over U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations requiring pork and beef products originating outside the United States to carry labels specifying their sources. The appeal notification circulated to WTO members indicated that the United States has challenged several of the panel’s findings, including that the detrimental impact does not stem exclusively from legitimate regulatory distinctions because “the amended COOL measure entails an increased recordkeeping burden and increased segregation,” “the current labels provided by the amended COOL measure have a potential for label inaccuracy,” and “the amended COOL measure continues to exempt a large proportion of muscle cuts.” Appeals are heard by three members of a permanent seven-member appellate body unaffiliated with any government, and the appellate body generally has three months to conclude its report. Additional information on the WTO panel’s…
Confirming early reports discussed in Issue 536 of this Update, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has again ruled in favor of Canada and Mexico regarding U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations requiring pork and beef products originating outside of the United States to bear labels indicating where each step in the production process occurred. The compliance panel found that the measure “accords to Canadian and Mexican livestock less favorable treatment than that accorded to like US livestock.” The panel also found that the rule’s 2013 amendment “increases the original COOL measure’s detrimental impact on the competitive opportunities of important livestock in the US market, because it necessitates increased segregation of meat and livestock according to origin; entails a higher recordkeeping burden; and increases the original COOL measure’s incentive to choose domestic over imported livestock.” Following the decision’s release, Mexican and Canadian trade officials issued a joint statement calling the COOL rule “a…
Senior executives from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce have co-authored an October 14, 2014, letter to members of Congress urging the lawmakers to “authorize and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to rescind elements of [country-of-origin labeling (COOL)] that have been determined to be noncompliant with international trade obligations by a final [World Trade Organization (WTO)] adjudication.” Citing Americans’ jobs as a primary concern, the executives argue that the regulations requiring muscle cuts of meat to include COOL would harm the United States’ relationship with its neighbors. “We are especially concerned that, should the WTO litigation conclude with a ruling of noncompliance by the United States, Congress would be unable to amend the statute prior to Canada and Mexico, our two largest export markets, instituting WTO-authorized retaliation against U.S. exports,” the letter said. “The history is clear. Buyer supply chain needs result in export markets being…
A bipartisan group of 32 federal lawmakers led by U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) penned an October 6, 2014, letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking its leaders to “reject efforts to weaken or suspend Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) through any continuing resolution or omnibus appropriations bill” pending a World Trade Organization (WTO) decision on the United States’ meat labeling dispute with Canada and Mexico. According to their letter, “anonymous foreign sources continue their efforts to undermine COOL,” making it essential that the Committee “not allow these rumors from abroad to preemptively weaken U.S. law before the dispute resolution process has run its course.” U.S. consumers, they contend, “have the right to know where their food comes from and farmers should be able to market their livestock as born and raised in America.” Issue 540
Health Canada has announced the implementation of new rules requiring mechanically tenderized beef (MTB) products to be labeled as such. Effective August 21, 2014, the mandatory labeling requirements—which previously applied only to federally registered producers of MTB cuts—now cover “all industry sectors selling uncooked MTB to other industry members or consumers,” including retailers, butcher shops, meat processors, and importers. Under the new rules, the labels must also include instructions for safe cooking that “emphasize the importance of cooking MTB to a minimum internal temperature of 63°C (145°F) and turning over mechanically tenderized steaks at least twice during cooking to kill harmful bacteria.” “Without clear labels, it is difficult for consumers to know which beef products have been mechanically tenderized,” said Minister of Health Rona Ambrose in an August 21, 2014, press release. “Today’s announcement, along with new industry labelling guidelines we have released, will help Canadians know when they are…
According to the Wall Street Journal, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has decided for Canada and Mexico and against the United States in a battle over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) of meat products. The decision has reportedly been disclosed to the three governments and is expected to be made public in late September or early October, after which the United States has 60 days to appeal. Canada and Mexico argued that the COOL rules harmed them by restricting their competitiveness. In recent months, members of the food industry and of Congress have argued against the COOL requirements. Additional information appears in Issues 529 and 533 of this Update.
National Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail has traced the history of sugar from its roots as a luxury to its current incarnation as a “forbidden fruit, the momentary pleasure infused with a lifetime of guilt.” Author John Allemang argues that the human taste for sweetness is natural and that “when we denounce sugar, we are defying our nature.” He describes sugar’s history, from its inclusion in recipe collections dating to about 1300 that extolled its ability to relieve illness to its use in creating plates and sculptures as a model of early conspicuous consumption. From there, it took on negative overtones through its association with slavery, colonialism and environmental degradation; later, sugar consumption became a moral failing. “[Early nutritionists] understood it to be seductive,” Elizabeth Abbott, author of Sugar: A Bittersweet History, told Allemang. “This prompted moral outrage: When you ate it, you kept wanting to have more.” The Industrial…
In a letter signed by 110 members of Congress, U.S. Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Rick Crawford (R-Ariz.) have urged Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman to rescind the country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements imposed on imports from Canada and Mexico if the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules against the United States in its investigation of U.S. COOL regulations. The letter reportedly suggested that Congress is working on a permanent solution to the issue, and it warned that a WTO ruling against the United States could result in detriment to the U.S. economy. “Congress must be prepared to act and find a solution that maintains a healthy relationship with our trading partners and protects the American economy,” Costa said in a July 31, 2014, statement. The letter echoes a similar argument made by food industry groups in July 2014 correspondence. Additional information on the food…
