November 3, 2025 (Ottawa) A United States federal court of appeals ruling that companies must label genetically modified processed foods in U.S. grocery stores is likely to bring more pressure to bear on Canadian regulators as they consider similar labelling in Canada.

On October 31, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for The Ninth Circuit overturned key aspects of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations on the labelling of genetically modified (GM or genetically engineered) foods. The USDA had exempted “highly refined” or ultra-processed GM foods, such as corn and soy oils, from its mandatory disclosure rule for “bioengineered” foods but this loophole is now closed.

There is no mandatory labelling of any genetically modified foods in Canada. There is a Canadian voluntary standard for labelling that is currently under review. No companies have voluntarily labelled genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for Canadian consumers.

The U.S. decision comes just one day after the release of a new Leger poll result that found 83% of Canadians want mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods. A House of Commons petition for mandatory labelling, authorized by Bloc Québécois Agriculture Critic Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé), also closes today.

“The court decision paves the way for more complete labelling of genetically modified foods in the U.S., leaving Canadian regulators behind and consumers in Canada uninformed,” said Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) which is advocating for mandatory labelling of all genetically modified foods. “Canadian consumers deserve the same transparency that will now be enforced in U.S. grocery stores.”

The court decision held that the USDA acted unlawfully in excluding ultra-processed foods from the U.S. bioengineered disclosure standard. The loophole was significant because these GM ultra-processed foods, such as cooking oils from GM corn, canola, and soy, make up the majority of all GM food ingredients in North America. The USDA rule will now need to be rewritten.

The case was litigated by the Center for Food Safety representing a plaintiff coalition of nonprofits and organic retailers in the United States.

For more information: Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, 902 209 4906, coordintor@cban.ca, www.cban.ca/labelling