OUR FOCUS ISSUES
Glyphosate
Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the world, by far. It is sprayed on lawns, growing crops, fields, and roadsides, and also on Canadian forests.
Gene Editing
Genetic engineering (GE) is a technique applied to food (and other living organisms) whereby the gene structure of the food is modified or edited in a way that would not occur in nature.
Chlorpyrifos
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide sprayed directly on growing crops, sprayed to kill mosquitoes, and sprayed on certain forest trees. In Canada many food crops are affected.
Our Mission
To promote the health of Canadians by upholding the administration of laws concerning the assessment of the safety of food.
The focus of our work is in the legal and regulatory arena. Our president, Mary Lou McDonald, is a trained lawyer with almost three decades of experience, and our board has experience in academia, business and activism.
Latest Articles & News
Update 2 on Increasing MRLs: Comments due Sept 8 2023 and MRL Issues Summary
Health Canada has extended the comment period for proposed regulations on MRLs until September 8, 2023. On June 20, 2023 it announced it was seeking comments on its Notice of Intent NOI2023-01 for new regulations on pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs). The new MRL regulations require publication of a notice when there is a proposed increase. […]
Read moreUpdate: PMRA Transformation Agenda, Increasing MRLs and Action
“Tractor Fertilize Field Pesticide And Insecticide” by aqua.mech is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Update: PMRA Transformation Agenda, Increasing MRLs and Action Resignations, Increasing MRLs, and Weak Proposals Remember two years ago? It was election time. Health Canada proposed higher levels of Roundup in food at the request of Bayer/Monsanto, the public screamed foul-play, and the government paused […]
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Reversal of CFIA decision on gene edited seed is needed!
Reversal of CFIA decision on gene edited seed is needed! This article was originally published by the National Farmers Union – May 13, 2023 On May 3, 2023 Agriculture Minister Bibeau approved the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulatory guidance on gene-edited genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) plants and seed, making many of these […]
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Safe Food Matters Goes Back to Court June 13 with Health Canada on Glyphosate
On June 13, 2023, Safe Food Matters returns to federal court in its ongoing battle with Health Canada over glyphosate, Canada’s most widely used herbicide.
This is the first step in our second lawsuit against Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for re-registering this harmful pesticide. We are seeking documents to show what's really going on behind closed doors at the PMRA.
Why? Because something's not right. In February, 2022, the Federal Court of Appeal ordered the PMRA to review our "Notice of Objection" for a second time – and the Court even provided "Guidance" to PMRA on how to address the issues. But PMRA did not follow the Guidance.
More than that, PMRA bent over backward to not address the concerns we raised. PMRA rewrote history. PMRA made up totally new legal tests. PMRA defied the rules of procedural fairness. It is clear PMRA does not want a review panel, even though the law allows for it.
So what's going on?
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