But the survey also found that most Canadians don’t know
what GMO means.
It appears that much of the opposition is to additives,
hormones used to promote meat production and large-scale livestock and poultry
barns.
The federal government has so far refused to make GMO
labelling mandatory because it is meaningless in terms of public health,
nutrition and the environment.
All of those issues are thoroughly investigated before
Health Canada and Agriculture Canada sign off on the growth and marketing of
GMO foods.
It was Health Canada that hired the Strategic Counsel to
conduct the survey.
It apparently didn’t bother to ask Canadian opinions about
insulin produced by genetically-modified bacteria.
Nor did it ask how much extra Canadians are willing to pay
for GMO labelling. There will be a cost for food-preparation companies,
distributors and retailers, including restaurants, to determine whether
ingredients have been derived from GM crops, such as corn and soybeans, and
then develop labels.
For example, would the labels have to declare which of the
many ingredients in some food products, such as frozen pizzas, are from GM
crops?
Whatever the science and emotion involved, this new survey
is sure to touch off renewed discussion about mandatory GMO labelling.
