There may be a great difference in the way distribution of GMO foods will be handled in Canada than in the United States. The Retail Council of Canada, the self-proclaimed “voice of retail” which is an advocacy association for the country’s primary grocery retailers Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, among others, recently proclaimed to the media, “We have confidence in the regulatory process and CFIA (the Canadian Food Inspection Agency) to ensure that (genetically engineered foods) are safe for consumption and only products that are safe for consumption are approved.”
On the subject of GMO labelling, a spokesman for the Council, David Wilkes, Senior Vice President, Government Relations and Grocery Division states, “There is no requirement for labelling at this point in time, so the government does not indicate that (genetically engineered foods) would be labelled.”
Compare this with recent reports from the U.S. that due to changing GMO labelling laws in the state of Vermont, several large manufacturers will change the labelling for the entire country, not just one state. Companies such as Campbell Soup Co., General Mills Inc., Kellogg Co., and Mars Inc., say their labelling changes will take place nationally.
Whatever their reasons, these large corporations show good ethics for going above and beyond the law by listing GMO ingredients on their products. If that’s what it takes to get companies to comply with informing the buying public when and if they will be consuming genetically engineered foods, then perhaps it’s time to voice concerns more loudly to government to change food labelling laws.
