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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

Health Canada has decided that crops developed through gene editing are safe and, in most cases, will not require a pre-market safety assessment.

Health Canada clarifies rules for gene edited crops

Regulations for traditionally bred crop varieties apply

Crops developed via gene editing will not be subject to the additional regulation requirements imposed on genetically modified organisms, according to Health Canada.  Gene editing, such as CRISPR technology, allows scientists to target or alter genes of interest in a plant’s genome to create plants with desired traits, such as disease resistance, enhanced growth or […] Read more


File photo of raw and cooked ground beef. (Lime and Lemon Media photo via Canada Beef Inc.)

Beef sector calls for Health Canada label exception

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association wants ground beef exempted from proposed rules

The cattle sector is less than pleased by a Health Canada proposal that would put a ‘high saturated fat’ label on retail ground beef. The proposal is part of a suite of changes proposed for Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations. As well as adding a front-of-packaging (FOP) label requirement for foods deemed by Health Canada […] Read more

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Manitoba cautions on manganese in well water

About a third of wells exceed updated limits, province says

A significant number of wells in Manitoba may be carrying water with manganese levels well above new health standards, particularly for infants. The province on May 3 issued an advisory for owners of private wells that their water “may exceed a new health-based guideline” for the trace element. The element occurs naturally, and commonly, in […] Read more