GM crops and foods on the market in Canada
Four genetically modified (GM or genetically engineered) crops are widely grown in Canada, and a fifth (GM alfalfa) was introduced in small amounts in 2016. As of 2020, Canada also produces GM salmon.
Grown in Canada
1. GM Canola
2. GM Corn
3. GM Soy
4. GM Sugar beet (white sugar beet for sugar processing only)
5. GM Alfalfa (for animal feed only)
6. GM Atlantic salmon
These GM crops mostly end up as processed food ingredients and animal feed. They are genetically engineered to be insect resistant and/or herbicide tolerant. For details on where these GM crops are planted, and how much, see CBAN’s GMO Inquiry report “Where in the world are GM crops and foods?”
Imported to Canada
7. GM Apple (grown in Washington State)
8. GM Papaya (from Hawaii)
9. GM Squash (from the US: some varieties, including yellow crookneck squash)
10. GM Cottonseed Oil (grown in the US, China, India)
11. Milk ingredients and products from the US produced with the use of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone
GM crops around the world
Most of the world’s GM crops are grown in just a few countries with highly industrialized, export-oriented agricultural sectors:
- GM corn, canola, soy and cotton account for 99% of the world’s GM crop acres.
- Five countries grown 91% of all the GM crops in the world (US, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, India).
- One country alone – the U.S. – plants 38% of the global GM crop area.
- 78% of the world’s GM crops are planted in the U.S.(38%), Brazil (28%) and Argentina (13%).
- India (GM cotton) and Canada (GM canola, corn, soy and sugar beet) each plant around 6% of the global acres of GM. (ISAAA 2020)
GM crops in Europe
The only genetically modified crop grown in the European Union (EU) is Monsanto’s insect resistant (Bt) corn MON810 and, since 2016, it is only grown in Spain and Portugal (111,883 hectares in 2019). (ISAAA, 2020) EU countries import approximately GM animal feed, mostly GM soy, from North and South America.
