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Meat from cloned animals sparks debate

Is a cloned cow any different from a conventionally conceived cow when it comes to meat? Canadian officials suggest not

Health Canada says meat from healthy cloned animals is no different than that from sexually reproduced animals and there are no health concerns with consuming meat from a cloned animal. It also says a main aspect of cloning animals is to “enhance the propagation of unique, high-value animals.”


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“Animal-free” milk gets green light in Canada

Company touts synthetic dairy as more environmentally friendly, healthy

In a news release today, Israeli startup Remilk, which uses the tagline "Real Dairy. No Milk," announced it had received a 'No Objection Letter' from Health Canada. This will "open the door for use of Remilk's protein in a variety of products with the same taste and texture as milk, ice cream, yogurt, cream cheese, and more," the company said.


Keith Currie, left, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Jennifer Babcock, government and public affairs for the Canadian Cattle Association, Jan VanderHout, president of the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, Rick White, president the Canadian Canola Growers Association and Kyle Larking, executive director of Grain Growers of Canada, listen as Kody Blois, chair of the House Commons agriculture committee, talks about his new private member’s bill at an Oct. 19 news conference.

Liberal MP introduces pathway for quicker regulatory approval

Seed, feed and pest control legislation would be amended to allow faster approval of products from other countries

Glacier FarmMedia – Kody Blois, Liberal MP and chair of the House of Commons’ agriculture committee, recently introduced a bill to make it easier for seed, feed and crop protection products to move into Canada. Private member’s Bill C-359 would amend the Seeds Act, Feeds Act and Pest Control Products Act to provide a 90-day […] Read more

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Feds lift ‘pause’ on increases in crop chemical MRLs

New set of rules also calls for 'cosmetic' pesticide use to be banned on federal lands

Proposals to increase a crop chemical’s maximum residue limits (MRLs) on foods and food crops in Canada can again seek federal approval, after being put on temporary hold two years ago. Among several other changes, a planned new package of federal regulatory amendments will put a gradual end to a “pause” imposed in August 2021 […] Read more

The agriculture industry says it is important for the government to act quickly on gene editing because the rest of the world, other than the European Union, has adopted the practice. Clearly spelling out guidance will allow companies to invest in Canada.

Federal government’s plan to approve gene editing slows down

Hold-up appears to be how to satisfy organic sector, which opposes biotech tool because of impact on sensitive markets

Glacier FarmMedia – Guidance on how gene editing will be used in Canadian plant breeding is still not available and that doesn’t sit well with the Conservative opposition. “This is important and we need this done,” said agriculture critic John Barlow in an interview. He raised the concern during a standing agriculture committee meeting on […] Read more


An original proposal by Health Canada to label ground beef as high in saturated fat has been shelved.  Photo: Jeff Haynes/Reuters

Health Canada to slap warning labels on sugary, salty and fatty foods

Ottawa | Reuters – Foods high in sugars, sodium and saturated fat will come with clear warning labels in Canada starting in 2026, the federal government said on Thursday, in an effort to promote healthier eating choices and reduce chronic health risks. “We know that it’s not always easy to make healthy choices,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told […] Read more

Health Canada wants to have a label on the front of a package with a symbol such as an exclamation mark in bold font to alert buyers that a product contains what it deems to be an unhealthy level of sugar, saturated fat and/or sodium.

Editorial: Despite good intentions, FOP labels could do more harm than good

When Health Canada updated Canada’s Food Guide in January 2019, it was markedly different than previous guides.  Unlike previous editions that focused on food ‘groups’ such as dairy, meat, grains, fat, vegetables and fruit, it categorizes food into nutritional categories such as ‘protein’ and ‘fibre’. Rather than dictating how many servings a citizen should consume […] Read more