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[SANET-MG] moron "voluntary" labeling in Canada
The article below is from the Gallon newsletter , it provides a URL for the
government document. I am still staggered at how the bureaucrats plan to flaunt
the excessive GM pollution of crops in Canada by imposing a 5% acceptable
pollution rate. It is not surprising that the bureaucrats failed to obtain
opinion form organic and environmental critics of GM policies. The
consultations they chose were from government bureaucrats ,biotechnology
advocates and food sales organizations. It is shocking that the elected
politicians identify themselves with such brainless machinations.
VOLUNTARY LABELLING OF GM FOOD STANDARD PUBLISHED
The Canadian General Standards Board has published a final
National Standard for the Voluntary Labelling and
Advertising of Foods That Are and Are Not Products of
Genetic Engineering. The two biggest objections from groups
such as Greenpeace Canada are that the standard allows for
voluntary rather than mandatory labelling and that a non-GE
label can be put on a food even it is contains up to just
under 5% genetically modified ingredients. Voluntary means
that the food doesn't have to be labeled but if it is
labeled, those who choose to comply with the standard agree
to follow the procedures in the standard.
The food producers choosing to use the standard (let GL know
if you encounter any) will have to keep up-to-date on which
products on the market are genetically modified as some of
the claims have to account for this. For example, if there
are no GE oranges on the market, the no-GE claim must say
something like, "Like all oranges, the oranges in this fruit
salad are not a product of genetic engineering."
In order to make a claim that any of the ingredients, say in
a fruit salad, are not a product of genetic engineering, the
food producer must do the following:
The source of each ingredient making up 1% or more by weight
of the salad must be checked.
The label must indicate in the ingredient list all
ingredients which are products of genetic engineering or
mixtures of GE and non-GE. If there are unverified
ingredients, these can constitute no more than 5% of the
total weight of the fruit salad.
Special rules apply if the claim is made more prominently on
the front display panel rather than the ingredient list.
All claims whether for GE or non-GE must have documentation
to verify them; verification may include testing, detection
processes, inspection, and audits. A management and control
system needs to be in place to follow the food from the
planting of seed, harvesting, preparation, processing,
packaging, transporting, storing, and final distribution.
Documentation must be kept when the food is made and a
reasonable length of time afterwords depending on the shelf
life of the product.
The standard also applies to advertising and food packaged
at point of sale and bulk food. It does not apply to
processing aids, enzymes used in small quantities,
substrates for micro-organisms, veterinary biologics and
animal feeds.
Although it is possible that the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency will use the standard for judging labelling claims,
past experience with previous standards such as the
voluntary organic agriculture national standard has shown
that it takes a long time for the regulators to decide
whether and how to use these types of standards in
regulations or guidelines. In the meantime, the press
release posted on the CFIA web site states, "As with all
Canadian standards, both industry and governments will
benefit from a clear understanding of the acceptable
framework surrounding the making of food claims."
GL had previously recommended that because of its importance
this standard be made available free because such standards
often cost over $60. Thanks to negotiations between CGSB and
CFIA, the standard is now freely available on the CGSB web
site.
Canadian General Standards Board. Voluntary Labelling and
Advertising of Foods That Are and Are Not Products of
Genetic Engineering National Standard. CAN/CGSB-32.315-2004
Gatineau, Quebec: April 2004.
http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/cgsb/032_025/standard-e.html
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