[BCFSN] Fwd: New resources From Farm to Cafeteria Canada

[JK Bays]

Hello all,
the lastest report from CBAN's GMO Inquiry <http://gmoinquiry.ca/> has been
released. Please see below for more information.
in good food,
Abra

Abra Brynne
BC Food Systems Network
abra at bcfsn.org
Ph: 250.352.5342 // mobile: 250.777.2480
I am in the office: tuesday, wednesday and thursday.
www.bcfsn.org

Please consider supporting us <http://bcfsn.org/donate/>.
<250.352.5342>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lucy Sharratt - CBAN Coordinator <coordinator at cban.ca>
Date: 7 December 2015 at 08:21
Subject: [cban e-News] Newest GMO Inquiry report on regulation is out!
Canadian regulation is profoundly untransparent
To: cban-e-news at cban.ca



[image: GMO Inquiry 2015] <http://www.gmoinquiry.ca/>

*“Are GM crops and foods well regulated?”*

The fifth report in the GMO Inquiry 2015 is out! The Inquiry is examining
the impacts and risks of GM crops and foods after twenty years, on farmers,
consumers and the environment. *But how did all these genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) get to market in the first place?* Read the report and
summary pamphlet <http://www.gmoinquiry.ca/regulation>.

<http://www.gmoinquiry.ca/regulation>For twenty years, the Canadian
government has been approving new genetically modified (GM, also called
genetically engineered) foods, crops and animals. These decisions to allow
GMOs into our food system have been taken without public consultation,
based largely on confidential information submitted by companies, and with
very little public information.

*The regulatory system for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been
widely criticized but has not changed significantly in two decades*.

CBAN’s new report <http://www.gmoinquiry.ca/regulation> examines how
decisions are made in Canada and focuses on the problem of a lack of
transparency. The report includes excerpts from government letters and
emails to CBAN, responding to many years of CBAN’s requests for information
from government departments. Please consider a donation to support our
continued work <http://www.cban.ca/donate>.

*Canada’s GMO Regulation is Not Transparent*

   - Regulators rely on science submitted by companies
   - The information and data used to approve GMOs is classified as
   confidential
   - There is no public participation and no consultation with farmers or
   consumers
   - The process for evaluating the risks of GMOs is not clear
   - The public is not automatically notified when a GM product is under
   review
   - There is no clear list of approved GM foods and crops for the public
   - There is no list of GM foods and crops on the market
   - There is no mandatory labelling of GM foods


*The Canadian government does not do any of its own safety testing and
information is kept confidential.*

Instead of conducting their own safety tests, Health Canada and the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency rely on information and data submitted by
the company that is requesting product approval. This information is not
disclosed to the public or independent scientists and is considered
“Confidential Business Information.”

*Precisely how regulators assess the safety of GM crops and foods, and what
data is evaluated, is unknown.  *

The process to assess the risks of new GM foods, crops and animals takes
place behind closed doors. The only non-governmental party that has access
to the regulatory process is the biotechnology industry itself. The only
public document provided by the government in the process of GMO risk
assessment is a short summary of each product approval decision, which is
posted online after the decision has been made. These summaries are brief
and only vaguely describe how and why a product has been approved.

*GM crops and foods are regulated based on a very narrow set of
considerations.*

The government limits risk assessment to (some) safety questions and does
not consider “non-scientific” concerns such as economic and social impacts.
GM regulation in Canada does not evaluate long-term impacts or include any
formal mechanisms to track and re-evaluate impacts over time.

*There is an almost total lack of transparency in the regulation of GMOs in
Canada. *

The regulatory process takes place without public participation, based on
data submitted by companies that is not disclosed to the public or
independent scientists. There are no consultations with farmers or
consumers. The government posts lists of approved “Novel Foods” and “Plants
with Novel Traits” but the GMOs on these lists are not clearly identified
for the public and many are not actually being grown or sold. There is no
mandatory labelling of GM foods in Canada.

Read the full report
<http://gmoinquiry.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Are-GM-crops-well-regulated-E-web-singles.pdf>
 and summary pamphlet
<http://gmoinquiry.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/gm-regulations-pamphlet-En.pdf>
at www.gmoinquiry.ca/regulation.

*Donate today!* <http://www.cban.ca/donate> Support our research and action
with your tax-deductible donation at www.cban.ca/donate.

*What’s next?*

   - Check www.cban.ca/Take-Action to take the latest strategic actions
   - Visit www.cban.ca for even more info
   - Invite your friends to Join the Inquiry <http://www.gmoinquiry.ca/>
   - Follow us on Facebook
   <https://www.facebook.com/cban.canadian.biotechnology.action.network>
    and Twitter <https://twitter.com/biotechaction>
   - Donate today at www.cban.ca/donate
   - Stay tuned for more updates and ways to participate

The GMO Inquiry has now published five reports! Stay tuned for CBAN’s last
report in 2015, "Do We Need GM Crops to Feed the World?" and join us in
2016 to share this research in your community.

*Join us at www.gmoinquiry.ca <http://www.gmoinquiry.ca/>!*

*Subscribe to the CBAN News and Action List*
<http://www.cban.ca/About/CBAN-e-News> to take action with us in 2016!

The GMO Inquiry 2015 is a project of the Canadian Biotechnology Action
Network (CBAN). CBAN is a campaign coalition of 17 organizations that
researches, monitors and raises awareness about issues relating to genetic
engineering in food and farming. CBAN members include farmer associations,
environmental and social justice organizations, and regional coalitions of
grassroots groups. CBAN is a project on Tides Canada’s shared platform.

Visit us at *www.cban.ca <http://www.cban.ca/> *or

*www.gmoinquiry.ca. <http://www.gmoinquiry.ca/>Contact us
<http://www.cban.ca/About/Contact>       Donate <http://www.cban.ca/donate>*

Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
Collaborative Campaigning for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice
Suite 206, 180 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 1P5
Phone: 613 241 2267 ext. 25
Fax: 613 241 2506
coordinator at cban.ca
www.cban.ca
https://www.facebook.com/cban.canadian.biotechnology.action.network
@biotechaction
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