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Voluntary Labelling And Advertising of Foods That Are
and Are Not Products of Genetic Engineering
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Question: What are foods obtained through genetic engineering?
Answer:
Foods
obtained through genetic engineering can be foods obtained from a plant, animal or micro-organism
that has had its heritable traits intentionally manipulated so as to offer some advantage
to mankind. Examples include canola, corn, potatoes and soy.
- Question: Why is it important to develop a Canadian standard covering the labelling
and advertising of foods that are and are not products of genetic engineering?
Answer:
When a standard is implemented as a single, recognized consensus standard, it has many
advantages. Some of these include: easy identification of product ingredients through
labelling; common language; user confidence; and representation of a variety of views
and expertise.
The Canadian standard covering the labelling and advertising of foods that
are and are not products of genetic engineering , provides further guidance for food companies
and manufacturers. A standard for voluntary labelling provides consumers with consistent
information upon which they can make their consumption choices.
- Question: What is the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB)?
Answer:
CGSB is
an organization within Public Works and Government Services Canada. It offers standardization
products and services, including standards development, product evaluation, certification
and quality assessment. CGSB is a member of Canada's National Standards System, and is
accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) as a standards-development, certification,
and registration organization. CGSB supports the government's economic, regulatory, procurement,
health and safety interests.
- Question: What is CGSB's role in the development of a labelling standard?
Answer:
CGSB manages the development of voluntary consensus standards through a balanced committee
of experts who provide broad-based input to the standard. In this instance, these experts
formed the CGSB Standards Committee on the Voluntary Labelling of Foods Obtained or Not
Obtained Through Genetic Modification, representing users, producers and general interest
groups. The three categories are always balanced so that no single group can dominate
the voting procedures of the committee.
A series of meetings are held, draft standards
are developed and voted on, with the result being consensus approval of the draft standard.
The draft standard is then submitted to the Standards Council of Canada as a candidate
to become a National Standard of Canada.
- Question: What is a National Standard of Canada?
Answer:
A National Standard
of Canada is a document approved by the Standards Council of Canada that contains requirements
and definitions for a specific product or activity. It can be developed by the Canadian
General Standards Board (CGSB), or by another accredited member of Canada's National
Standards System.
- Question: What is covered in the standard?
Answer:
The standard sets
out the definitions, general principles and models for making voluntary declarations
or claims. All claims must be understandable, informative, not false, and not misleading.
It includes the procedures required to verify the truthfulness of the claims in food
labelling, as no claim is permitted if it cannot be verified.
- Question: Were Canadians given an opportunity to comment on the labelling standard?
Answer:
The first draft of the voluntary labelling standard was made available for public comment
during a 60-day review period from August 17 to October 17, 2001. Comments received related
to the standard were considered by the committee in the development of a second draft
of the standard. The various regulatory bodies having responsibility for food labelling
in Canada were also informed of all comments received regarding mandatory labelling.
- Question: Is this standard voluntary or mandatory?
Answer:
CGSB was asked by
the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, a national, non-profit organization representing
about 80 per cent of grocery and supermarket operations across Canada, to develop a voluntary
standard only. In the past, however, some CGSB standards have become mandatory due to
reference in regulation by a regulatory body. Any decision regarding mandatory labelling
would be taken by such a regulatory body, in this case Health Canada and/or the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency.
- Question: Who approved and promulgated the standard?
Answer:
Approval of the
technical elements of the standard was the responsibility of the CGSB Standards Committee
on Voluntary Labelling of Foods Obtained or Not Obtained Through Genetic Modification.
Approval of the procedural elements of the standard was the responsibility of the CGSB
Panel on Process Assurance. Approval of the standard on the basis of requirements for
National Standards of Canada was the responsibility of the Standards Council of Canada.
- Question: How were the standards committee members chosen?
Answer:
CGSB compiled
an initial list of potential committee members by drawing upon several sources including
association indexes, government indexes, Websites, conference information, media sources,
and discussion with the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors (CCGD) and Canadian
Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). CGSB sent potential members a letter to invite their participation
as well as their suggestions for membership. At the first and second standards committee
meetings, committee members were asked to suggest additional major stakeholders to be
approached. In addition, various interested parties approached CGSB on their own or through
a contact on the standards committee.
All potential members were asked to identify their
preference for voting or non-voting status. Subject to the requirement for balanced representation,
those requesting voting status were included.
Due to the balance requirement, some organizations
were given non-voting status.
- Question: What committee meetings were held?
Answer:
The standards committee
met on 11 occasions. November 17 and 18, 1999; January
10 and 11, 2000; April 6 and 7, 2000; July 6 and 7, 2000; November 14 and 15, 2000; December
18 and 19, 2000; February 26 and 27, 2001; March 26 and 27, 2001; March 6, 7, and 8,
2002; September 12 and 13, 2002; and on May 14,
15 and 16, 2003. Six working groups were formed to develop sections of the standard and
to carry out other assigned tasks.
- Question: How many members were eligible to vote on the draft standard?
Answer:
Fifty-three members of the committee were eligible to vote. While all committee members
had an opportunity to request voting member status, they understood that the number of
voting members would be limited - as a way of ensuring a balanced representation of the
three main groups involved in the consensus process.
As a result, the Chair and 17 other voting members representing general interest participants,
18 voting members representing the producer community, and 17 voting members representing
users, were eligible to cast their ballot.
On September 8, 2003, the Government of Canada
announced that, with over 70 per
cent of the committee voting to support the draft standard, the committee had reached
consensus approval.
- Question: How can consumers be assured of complete and accurate labelling of ingredients?
Answer:
The standard includes definitions that are clear and concise, general principles and
models for voluntary declarations, and procedures used to verify the truthfulness of
these declarations. No claim is permitted if it cannot be verified.
Health Canada and
the CFIA carry joint responsibility for federal food labelling policies in Canada under
the Food and Drugs Act.
Health Canada is responsible for setting food labelling
policies with respect to health and safety matters (i.e. nutritional content, allergens,
special dietary needs, etc.). This applies to all foods, including foods that have been
derived through genetic engineering.
CFIA is responsible for the development of non-health-and-safety
food labelling regulations and policies. More specifically, CFIA is responsible for protecting
consumers from misrepresentation and fraud with respect to food labelling, packaging and
advertising and for prescribing basic food labelling and advertising requirements applicable
to all foods (i.e. listing of food ingredients and components, product claims, mandatory
information and statements, etc.). Again, these apply to all foods, including genetically
modified foods.
Additional information on labelling may be obtained from the CFIA Web site
at  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/.
- Question: How do Canada's labelling practices compare with those of other countries?
Answer:
Internationally, there is a wide range of views on the labelling of genetically engineered
foods. Canada is a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international standards-setting
body for food. The Commission's Website at http://www.codexalimentarius.net may
be referenced for further information on their work. Codex standards have been recognized
by the World Trade Organization as a basis for trade agreements, and as such are becoming
increasingly important for countries wishing to trade internationally. Through its Food
Labelling Committee, which is chaired by Canada, Codex is developing guidelines for the
labelling of foods derived from biotechnology.
Canada's major trading partners, including
the United States and Japan, support labelling on a case-by-case basis only in instances
of health, safety and compositional change.
Additional information concerning Canada's
food labelling practices may be obtained from the CFIA Website at http://www.inspection.gc.ca.
- Question: Who paid CGSB for the development of this standard?
Answer:
The Canadian
Council of Grocery Distributors funded the development of the standard. The CCGD, in
turn, received funding from the federal government's Agri-Food Trade 2000 Fund and Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada.
- Question: What was the cost of developing this standard?
Answer:
The cost to
develop the labelling standard was approximately $400,000.
- Question: Why did it take so long to develop this standard?
Answer:
The process
of arriving at a consensus for a labelling standard has taken over four years to reach
a successful conclusion. There are numerous reasons for this delay - a complex topic
requiring time to reach a consensus, and the schedule of meetings by volunteers who gave
freely of their time.
- Question: How will consumers benefit from a labelling standard?
Answer:
Labelling
claims regarding the presence or absence of genetically engineered ingredients in food
will give consumers consistent information to guide them in their food choices. All labelling
claims are required to be understandable, informative, not false or misleading, verifiable
and compliant with all current Canadian regulations. And since the standard defines terms
which are consistent with Canada's Food and Drug Regulations ,
and uses a common language to set out the various criteria for the making of claims,
it is readily understandable for consumers.
- Question: How can I get a copy of the new standard?
Answer:
The standard will
soon be available free-of-charge over the Internet at CGSB's Website located at http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/cgsb/home/index-e.html.
Alternatively, a free printed copy of the standard may also be requested from CGSB by
telephoning toll-free 1-800-665-2472 or by e-mail at ncr.cgsb-ongc@pwgsc.gc.ca.
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