GM crops and foods NOT on the market in Canada

The following genetically modified (GM or genetically engineered) foods are not on the market in Canada in 2017:

• Flax – Canadian farmers suffered a GM flax contamination crisis in late 2009, despite the fact that GM flax has never been on the market.
• Potato – New GM potato varieties were approved in the U.S. starting in 2014, and are now also approved in Canada. The GM potatoes are sold in the U.S. but not yet in Canada.
• Rice – There is no GM rice grown anywhere in the world. The much-discussed Vitamin-A “Golden Rice” is not in yet use and still undergoing study on nutrition.
• Wheat – There is no GM wheat grown anywhere in the world. In 2004, Monsanto withdrew its applications for approval of GM herbicide-tolerant wheat in Canada and the US.

Information from the Canadian Government is not clear

Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have approved over 150 varieties of 15 types of food and crops under the broad categories they call “Novel Foods” and “Plants with Novel Traits” but:

• Not all of these “novel” products are produced using genetic engineering (In the CFIA list, GM products can be identified by looking for “LMO” which stands for Living Modified Organism).
• Many approved GM crop varieties are not currently on the market, and the government does not track this information.