Those concerned about eating food that includes genetically modified organisms can encourage their MP to support this bill, requiring labeling of all GMO food in Canada.
A private member’s bill supporting mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food in Canada was selected randomly for debate in the House of Commons this month. If Bill C-517 is passed into legislation, Canadian manufacturers of food containing genetically modified ingredients will be required to label their products as such.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) don’t occur naturally, since they are created through the process of genetic manipulation, to prevent plants from being affected by a herbicide or pesticide, for example. The genes from one organism are inserted into the genetic code of another. According to Greenpeace, “In Canada, up to 70 per cent of the processed foods found in grocery stores contain GE ingredients. The most common GE ingredients come from crops like corn, soy, canola and cotton.” They produce an electronic guide revealing which products do and do not contain GMOs.
This issue is also of concern to vegetable gardeners and farmers because genetically engineered food:
- Destroys biodiversity,
- Benefits rich, large agri-businesses instead of small farmers,
- Destroys family-owned farms whose operators can’t afford to buy seeds, pesticides and fertilizers,
- May have long-term effects on our health that are not yet known, and
- Are not sustainable.
As consumers, we have the right to have access to information about the food we are feeding our families. Bill C-517 would also help remove genetically modified foods from the food chain, which would then reduce the dissemination of genetically engineered seeds into our environment. The Bill, if passed, would also mean that the Canadian government would maintain a current list of products containing genetically modified organisms that would be made available, free of charge, to all Canadian citizens.
I wrote an e-mail to my Member of Parliament asking her to support this Bill. You can, too!
