May 18, 2022, Halifax – Consumer, environmental, and farmer groups across Canada are denouncing an announcement today from Health Canada that will allow private companies to release many new genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) foods without any government oversight. The groups, represented by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) and the Quebec network Vigilance OGM (GM Watch), are alarmed that the federal government will now allow product developers to assess the safety of many new gene-edited foods (those with no foreign DNA) with no role for Health Canada regulators. Health Canada’s new regulatory guidance will also limit the government’s powers to simply asking companies to voluntarily notify the government of new gene-edited foods coming to market. “We’re shocked that the Minister of Health has committed to corporate self-regulation of these gene-edited foods. Canadians will soon be eating some gene-edited foods that have not gone through any independent government safety checks, and some of these foods may not even be reported by companies to the government or public,” said Lucy Sharratt of CBAN, “This decision profoundly increases corporate control over our food system.” Under the new regulatory guidance, Health Canada is removing its own authority to regulate new genetically modified … Continue reading Federal government abandons safety assessments and transparency for new gene-edited foods