Genetically modified (GM) foods are increasingly being used in Canadian agriculture. Currently in Canada no labelling law exists, despite numerous surveys indicating up to 90 % of Canadians want mandatory labelling of GM food. Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) carry joint responsibility for federal food labelling policies in Canada under the Food and Drugs Act. In October 2001, Liberal MP Charles Caccia put forward a private member's bill calling for mandatory labelling of GM food. Despite Health Minister Allan Rock's support of mandatory labelling, the bill was defeated in Parliament by a vote of 126 to 91. The controversy over GM food safety and labeling continues and causes heated debates.
You will have to decide whether or not genetically altered food are safe and should there be mandatory labelling of these foods.
TASK
Currently in Canada (2005), genetically modified (GM) foods do not require mandatory labeling. It is your job to decide whether GMO ingredients should be banned OR should food manufacturers be forced through government regulations to label foods that contain GMO ingredients OR should GMO labeling be voluntary.
Bill C-287 -
7.1 No person shall sell or offer for sale a food that contains more than one percent of a genetically modified food, unless it is labelled with a statement.
(a) that it is or contains an ingredient that is genetically modified, and
(b) which food or ingredient is derived from genetic modification
Compete reading of bill:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/chambus/house/bills/private/C-287/C-287_1/371147bE.html
You will form an advisory committee that makes recommendations to Parliament advocating whether Bill C-287 should become law. You will work in groups of four (committees) and will review a variety of information on GMO foods. As a committee you will have to decide whether Bill C-287 should be supported or opposed.
Each group member will assume the position of consumer, producer, Scientist (CFIA) and environmentalist. Depending on your role, take notes on the information so that you can communicate your viewpoint to the committee. Your committee will have to come to a consensus and write a letter to your Parliament MP urging him/her to either support or oppose bill C-287.
Government website
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/sci/biotech/tech/labetie.shtml
CBC archives: Identifying genetically modified products
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-75-1597-10956/science_technology/genetically_modified_food/clip4
CBC archives: Is regulation of GM food up to snuff?
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-75-1597-10978/science_technology/genetically_modified_food/clip4
ROLES
ENVIRONMENTALIST: You are Prince Edward Island’s most renowned environmentalist, well known for voicing your opinion on matters such as pesticides, and more recently, genetically modified organisms (GMOs). You have strong feelings against genetically modified organisms, and feel that they must be banned altogether on a Global basis.
CONSUMER: You are a middle-class consumer with a family of five to feed. You are most concerned with providing the best, and most safe, nutrition to your family. You are interested in organic foods but find that they are very pricey for your limited budget. Having recently heard of GMOs, you would like to learn more.
PRODUCER: You are a producer on PEI, who grows potatoes, wheat, corn, and canola. You have recently faced several financially challenging years due to immense insect and disease pressure, as well as chronically low prices, and consumers and environmentalist who are concerned with pesticide applications. You have known about GMOs for several years and are now considering growing them.
SCIENTIST WITH CFIA: You are CFIA’s top plant scientist. Your goal is to improve crop yields, as well as enhance the nutritive value of food. You have worked for several years testing GMOs.
Process
Step #1. Go to the following website: http://www.identigen.com/html2/MainBgL.htm and read the information it provides on GMO's. Ask yourself what are GMO's? What foods are GM? Discuss the labelling regulations in different countries and how it varies.
Step #2. Go the following website: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/gmo/gmogame.asp. Play the GMO Debate game and go through each question (there are five in total), choosing characters to ask and answer the questions. This activity will give you the answers to some of the questions you may have and give you practice in forming opinions and roles in the debate. Briefly write down the question and answers so you have it for reference later. You are encouraged to explore the rest of the website to obtain more information and develop an interest in the topic.
Step #3. Go to the following website: www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest. Click on the second heading "Engineer a Crop." Read the directions and continue with the exercise. Choose either the Selective Breeding or Transgenic Manipulation exercise. Complete the steps for the one you choose. Your group should be able to see how GMO's are created through selective breeding or gene manipulation.
Step #4: Go to the following website: www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest. Read The Story and watch the video. After you are finished watching the video read the Did You Know? section to get specific information for Canada concerning GMO's. Ask yourself if you agree with Canada's position. Click on the 9 Additional Clips below the video and view one more video of your choice as a group. Ask yourself what you learned from these videos? Did they alter your point of view?
Conclusion
Labeling GMO food is a complex and controversial debate. Depending on your values, beliefs, culture, religion, and background you will have different viewpoints on this issue. Hopefully now you have a greater respect for all sides of this issue. As a society we have to be respectful of others viewpoints and learn to constructively debate controversial topics and arrive at a consensus. Hopefully you have a greater appreciation for our MPs in parliament who deal with heated topics on a regular basis. Next time you go to the grocery store will you wonder what you are buying.
