Many believe food-labeling laws don't go nearly far enough in keeping Canadians informed about what's really in their food.
However, an ambitious private member's food labeling bill is raising questions even among its supporters.
When NDP MP Paul Dewar introduced his Food Products Labeling Act (Bill C-510) on the Hill last Friday, he said both the current and previous federal governments have refused to provide full disclosure of food ingredients to Canadians.
"When Canadian families put food on their tables, they want to make sure the food is nourishing them and not making them sick. We want mandatory labeling on food products so we know what is in our food," said Dewar.
Within nine months of its passage through Parliament, the bill demands mandatory labeling declaring the presence of such substances as hormones, antibiotics and rendered slaughterhouse waste in meat and poultry products.
The bill would also cover the labeling of pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Dewar said genetically modified foods are not tested to scientific standards before being sold to the public and long term effects of their consumption on health remains unknown or inadequately studied.
He said the U.S. National Academy of Sciences estimates that between 4,000 and 20,000 cases of cancer are caused by pesticide residues in food, and that the alleged use of growth hormones in farming cattle and chicken can lead to hormonal imbalance.
Antibiotics used in factory farming "threaten the effectiveness of drugs used to treat diseases in humans as bacterial strains develop stronger resistance to antibiotics," Dewar said.
Laura Telford, executive director of the Canadian Organic Growers who also spoke at the press conference, said Dewar's bill was "an important step for Canadians to reclaim their food system."
"We all carry a large body burden of chemicals and some of those chemical are from agriculture."
But "consumers are making a choice with their wallets," said Telford, adding that the organic food industry is growing rapidly as established by a 2006 Neilson study.
Telford said food labeling is the first step in understanding the conventional food system.
However, Tom Manley, owner of Homestead Organics in eastern Ontario, said in an interview that labeling does not apply to commodities like apples, carrots and peanuts "and that's where all the concerns are."
It's after the food is processed that the requirement for listing the ingredients kicks in.
"As a purist, I agree with the principle but when I look at it on a case by case basis, it is easy to apply [labelling] in some cases and not easy to apply in other cases.
"How do you label an apple when pesticides have been used?" he said, adding that Canada imports food from countries that still use pesticides which have been banned in Canada.
Manley said he's concerned Dewar's bill is too broad and would like to see a more targeted, narrow, step-by-step approach.
He said identifying GMOs is "easy and reasonable" and that consumers have long been requesting the labelling of genetically modified products. "That's the big one I want to see labeled."
Paul Duchesne, senior Media relations advisor for Health Canada, said in an email response that genetically modified foods are scientifically "reviewed."
"Before any of these substances can be used in foods (in the case of genetically modified ingredients), or on food producing crops and animals, they undergo a thorough and scientifically based review by the Department to review their safety."
Duchesne said that in the case of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, Health Canada will often set limits on where and how a substance can be used, and will set maximum residue limits (MRLs) for these substances.
"The MRL is the maximum residue of the substance that is allowed to remain in the food, and is based on the levels that would not represent a risk to the consumer."
Health Canada also requires "special labeling to address health and safety issues which might be mitigated through labeling" such as identifying the presence of an allergen, said Duchesne.
Anne Macey, an inspector for the Canadian Organic Growers, said it is widely known that organic farmers meet stringent standards of food production, hence the problems listed in Dewar's bill are unlikely to exist in the organic food industry.
Macey agrees that people should know what they're eating but questions the logistics of labeling so many substances.
"I don't know whether listing these items [hormones, antibiotics etc] is possible."
With the strong growth of Canada's organic food industry, Manley said he would like to see more conventional farmers take to organic farming.
"Many consumers suspect what's going on in mainstream agriculture. As a result, the organic industry can barely keep up with the demands."
Feeds