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The Manitoba Co-operator | January 9, 2014
No GM in those little toasted Os Cereal giant joined others in fight against GM labelling propositions REUTERS
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e n e ra l Mill s In c. said it has stopped using genetically m o d i f i e d ( G M ) i n g re dients in the popular breakfast cereal Cheerios as the U.S. brandedfoods manufacturer hopes the move will firm up customer loyalty in the face of growing opposition to such additives. Many activists and criti c s h a ve c i t e d s t u d i e s suggesting GM crops are not safe for people and animals who consume them. Some activist groups opposing GM food also say the crops create environmental problems by encouraging more use of certain agrochemicals, and consumers should have the right to know what they are buying. However, General Mills, which also makes Betty Cro c k e r d e s s er t mixes and Yoplait yogurt, said in a company blog post that its decision on ingredients was not driven by safety concerns and “was n e ve r a b o u t pressure” from critics. “It’s not about safety. Biotech seeds, also k n ow n a s g e n e t i c a l l y modified seeds, have been approved by global food safety agencies and w i d e l y u s e d by f a r m ers in global food crops for almost 20 years,” the General Mills blog said. The Minneapolisbased company said it has begun using non-GM cornstarch and non-GM sugar in Cheerios, adding that oats, the primary ingredient, is a crop that is not grown from genetically modified seeds. “Why change anything at all? It’s simple. We did it because we think consumers may embrace it,” the company said in its blog post, credited to Tom Forsythe, the company’s vice-president for global communications. “General Mills offers non-GM choices in most of our major categories in the U.S., and now we can say the same about the ingredients in original Cheerios.” In November, a Washington state ballot meas u re t h a t w o u l d h a v e required labelling of foods containing GM crops did not win wide approval. General Mills, Nestle USA, PepsiCo, Monsanto, DuPont and other corporate giants were key contributors in a consortium raising roughly US$22 million to campaign against the bill.
Seed growers support current variety registration system Don’t change the system, speed up the process, says CSGA executive director By Allan Dawson CO-OPERATOR STAFF
Canada has a flexible variety registration system so it doesn’t need changing, Dale Adolphe, executive director of the Canadian Seed Growers Association, told the Manitoba Seed Growers Association’s annual meeting in Winnipeg Dec. 12. But what does need changing, he added, is how quickly the federal government moves a crop kind to a different registration regime after the industry requests it. “We value the flexibility of the current system,” Adolphe said. “What we don’t value is the responsiveness of the government to make the changes through the system.” However, that might change, he said. The Agricultural Growth Act, tabled in Parliament last month contains provisions that should make it easier to make changes faster.
The current system for recommending new varieties was implemented in 2009 after extensive industry consultation, Adolphe said. Three options Under the current system there are three options for registering new varieties. Part I is what exists now for new wheats in Western Canada. They must go through pre-registration trials with merit assessment overseen by an expert committee. Based on the data the committee decides whether or not to recommend the Canadian Food Inspection Agency register the variety. Under Part II new varieties must go through pre-registration trials, but merit assessment is not required. Crops under Part III only need to meet basic variety registration requirements. Pre-registration trials and merit assessments are not required.
Canadian Seed Growers Association executive director Dale Adolphe says the current variety registration has lots of flexibility, but government is sometimes slow to move crop kinds after the industry has requested it. PHOTO: ALLAN DAWSON Industry players, if there is a consensus, can ask the government to move a crop to a different part.
The canola industry did that weeks after the new registration system was implemented, Adolphe said. In contrast, the federal government has failed to put oilseed soybeans under Part III even though the industry requested it four years ago. “The failure is not the (existing registration) system, but the government’s regulatory change process,” he said. Some critics don’t want any new crop kinds placed under the registration system, Adolphe said. “I think the Brassica carinata sector is looking at having carinata... subject to variety registration and that option should be there for the value chain if that’s what you want,” he said. The Manitoba Seed Growers Association also supports the current registration system because of its flexibility. allan@fbcpublishing.com
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