News Release
1999-144
December 17, 1999
Ministers announce expert scientific panel on the future of food biotechnology
OTTAWA - Health Minister Allan Rock, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lyle Vanclief, and Environment Minister David Anderson today announced their intention to establish an independent expert panel to examine future scientific developments in food biotechnology. The independent expert panel will also advise Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and Environment Canada on the science capacity that the federal government will require to continue to ensure the safety of new food products being developed through biotechnology into the 21st century.
"This blue ribbon scientific panel will be assembled and organized as an objective and independent review," said Minister Rock. "It will be a pro-active, forward-thinking body that will assess the future scientific requirements of the regulatory system to meet the growing complexity of food biotechnology. It will be asked to make recommendations that will allow us to continue to protect human health, animal health and the environment in Canada for the future."
Consultations are currently underway with Dr. William Leiss, President of the Royal Society of Canada and Dr. Arnold Naimark, Chair of the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee (CBAC) on the details of this panel which will be independent and operate at arm's length from the federal government and in compliance with Health Canada's Conflict of Interest Guidelines. The panel will draw on a wide range of scientific expertise and include some members of the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee. The advice of the expert panel will complement recommendations expected from the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee on broad policy issues and from the Canadian General Standards Board on voluntary labelling of foods derived from biotechnology.
"The science of biotechnology is continuing to advance and Canada needs to remain on the leading edge of these developments. Our goal is to bring together some of the best minds in the country to give us their advice on what needs to be done so that we can continue to ensure that Canada's food supply remains one of the safest in the world," said Minister Vanclief.
The panel will be asked to identify the types of foods from biotechnology that could be submitted for regulatory safety reviews over the next ten years, the science likely to be used to develop these products and any potential risks, short or long-term, to human health, animal health and the environment, associated with these foods. It will also be asked to assess approaches and methodologies being developed internationally to evaluate the safety of these new foods, to identify the scientific capacity that will be needed to address any health concerns related to these foods and to identify any new policies, guidelines and regulations related to science that may be required in this area, including the need for long-term studies to assure human health.
"We want the best available advice to ensure that the development of food biotechnology does not take place at the expense of the environment," said Environment Minister David Anderson.
Due to the wide range of scientific expertise needed, the full list of panel members is not expected to be announced until mid-January. The panel will be asked to file a preliminary report within six months and a final report by the end of the summer of 2000.
Under the Food and Drugs Act, Health Canada has established a stringent process for evaluating the safety of biotechnology-derived foods (often referred to as genetically modified foods, genetically engineered foods, or novel foods). Health Canada conducts a thorough safety assessment of each biotechnology-derived food before it can be sold in Canada. The CFIA carries out safety assessments to evaluate new agricultural products for the safety of animal feed and the environment.
The Government of Canada is committed to the ongoing process of ensuring that its regulations of foods derived from biotechnology are appropriate for the state of the science and the types of food and plant products that are being developed through future research.
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