e-6768 (Health)

The Government of Canada uses a stringent evidence-based process to evaluate the safety of genetically modified food products. In Canada, the legislative framework for food labelling is designed to protect the health and safety of Canadians and protect consumers from harmful business practices (i.e., fraud).

As with all other foods, genetically modified foods must comply with the labelling rules under the Food and Drugs Act and the Safe Food for Canadians Act. All labelling information must be truthful and not misleading, and there are no mandatory labelling requirements in Canada for identification of genetically modified foods.

However, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency understands that some consumers want this information.  With this in mind, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency encourages food businesses to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions through voluntary labelling. To facilitate this, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has developed a national standard for voluntary label declarations that are understandable and not misleading (e.g. “not products of genetic engineering”). This approach is consistent with Canada’s commitment to science-based regulation and aligns with international standards. In addition, Canadian regulations allow the use of third-party standards to make voluntary claims about genetically modified foods. For example, the “Non-GMO Verified Project” maintains a third-party scheme that verifies the non-GM content in products and provides that information to consumers via labelling and on an online database that lists over 12,000 individual foods.

While genetically engineered foodsare considered as safe and nutritious as conventional foods, our government recognizes that information about genetic engineering is important. That is why we have been working with the Canadian General Standards Board since November on a public review of the National Standard for labelling and advertising of foods that are, and are not, products of genetic engineering. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency uses this Standard to provide its guidance to companies on the labelling of foods.

The Government recognizes that new genetic engineering techniques, such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), are advancing rapidly and may lead to the development of new foods, including fruits, vegetables, and livestock. Gene-editing techniques can provide a more targeted and efficient way to create plants that are as safe for humans, animals and the environment as conventionally bred plants. This can benefit farmers and consumers because plants that are more resistant to extreme temperature, precipitation and insects can help us adapt to climate change. Gene editing can also make animals less vulnerable to certain diseases. Health Canada continues to monitor scientific developments and adapt its regulatory approaches to ensure that Canadians are protected while fostering innovation in the agri-food sector.