The Pickle of Labelling GM Salmon and Foods, and How to Avoid It

Health Canada in May, 2016 approved a genetically modified animal (salmon) for human consumption. This food is the first of its kind in the world. A federal committee that looked at the issue has provided its report, which effectively includes a recommendation to not label GM foods.

The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Ari-Food stated it supports mandatory labelling “only when a risk to health has been established …”, and that “no risks to health have been identified for GM foods approved in Canada”. (7,8)

But of course no health risks can be identified, because GM ingredients can’t be traced. Why not? Because they aren’t labelled.  Bit of a Catch 22, eh?
The Pickle.
Canadians want labelling of GM foods. Health Canada in March, 2016 commissioned research to “obtain a more current reading on public opinion”. The findings (at 5) were that 78% of participants want GM foods clearly labelled on packaging, and that …Read More

A BEEF ON LABELING: IRRADIATED MEAT GETS A LABEL; BUT GM FOODS DO NOT

Health Canada is going to allow the beef industry to irradiate beef: to blast it with radiation. But it insists that such beef be clearly labeled so that “consumers wishing to purchase irradiated ground beef would easily be able to identify it on store shelves.” [i]

However there is no requirement to label genetically modified foods.  It is hard to understand why there is a requirement to label one but not the other, because they are similar in many respects. Here are the similarities:

Both Are Processes at the Molecular Level

Irradiation is a process, according to the Technical Summary[ii], that is applied to ground beef at the molecular level, the level of DNA.  The Updated Evaluation[iii] of irradiated beef states (at 5) that “The mechanism of action for microbial inactivation using ionizing radiation is understood to involve breakage of the chemical bonds in the microbe’s DNA by free radicals, which arrests microbial …Read More