Edible Vancouver — Spring 2011
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Field Notes
Genetically Engineered and Grown in BC?
SOME 70 PER CENT OF ALL PROCESSED FOODS likely contain genetically engineered ingredients. That may sound like I'm hedging my bets, but since we have no labelling laws, and the companies that produce GE food aren't offering any information on the subject, we are left to extrapolate.
What we do know is that over 148 million hectares of GE croplands were planted worldwide this year. In the US, 93 per cent of the soy crop, 86 per cent of the field corn crop, and 93 per cent of the canola crop are GE varieties. Take a look at the ingredient list of any processed food on the grocery store shelf and you will probably find one, if not all, of these crops listed in one form or another.
Even if you don't eat Pop-Tarts®, Twinkies, or chicken nuggets, 70 per cent is cause for alarm. It means that the vast majority of the North American populace at least partially survives on food made with ingredients that are patented, owned by corporations, and being grown as part of a massive barely-regulated experiment.
While we still don't have mandatory labelling of foods made with GE ingredients, it is not impossible for an informed eater to avoid genetically engineered food. (Choose organic.) It's the unintended and–as more studies emerge–increasingly negative environmental consequences that are more difficult to avoid. These consequences germinate in open fields throughout farm country.
"There are only four [genetically engineered] crops legal to be grown in Canada right now: corn, soy, canola, and white sugar beet," says Lucy Sharratt, coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. Soy and sugar beets are not grown in BC in any significant number, but the (relatively small compared to the prairies) canola harvest in Northern BC is most likely entirely grown with genetically engineered seeds. And while this is of concern, far more acreage is given over to GE corn, most notably grown as forage on dairy farms. According to BC's Ministry of Agriculture there are almost 850 dairy farms throughout the province, with 70 per cent of those farms in the Fraser Valley.
Corn is genetically engineered for two main reasons: resistance to pests and resistance to herbicides. In an industrial agriculture environment, conventional wisdom could dictate that a farmer would be a fool to not plant genetically engineered varieties. Especially now that products like SmartStax corn have been developed. (This variety combines six insect-resistant traits with two pesticide-resistant traits, and was developed as a cross-licensing deal between Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto.)
Because of industry consolidation (Monsanto is both the world's largest seed company and the largest genetic engineering company) it is becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to find non-GE seeds. "In those crops where there are genetically engineered varieties, companies can gradually get rid of non-GE lines in their catalogue," says Sharratt. "Many BC farmers, when buying their corn seed, may not even know it's genetically engineered."
With the increasing consumer concern around genetically engineered food, it's perhaps not surprising that the conventional BC dairy farmers and seed suppliers contacted for this article declined to be interviewed. CropLife Canada, a trade association with a member list that reads like a who's who of big ag and biotech, was willing to suggest some benefits of genetically engineered crops.
"Plant biotechnology is a tool that helps farmers grow more crops on less land, which means farmers are better able to protect the forests, wetlands, and other terrain that would otherwise be needed for food production," says Janice Tranberg, CropLife Canada's Vice-President for Western Canada. Indeed, feeding humanity while cultivating less land, and requiring less labour, is a noble idea. But it is eminently more sensible to establish integrated sustainable farming practices that don't rely on multinational corporations to supply seed and chemical inputs for monocropping.
Products from AquaBounty and Okanagan Specialty Fruits, along with the University of Guelph's Enviropig™ are part of the next wave of GE foods that British Columbians could see being grown and raised in our province. Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) is hoping to introduce a non-browning apple, mostly for the "fresh-cut produce market." Call me old-fashioned, but I like my apples whole, or heck, even freshly sliced, and if I can't finish the entire fruit before it browns I know it will make fine compost.
The technology behind genetically engineered food may yet prove to be a boon to humanity. But, as it stands now, the vast majority of GE foods are developed for an industrial food system driven by profit.
AquaBounty hopes to commercialize its GE Atlantic salmon, which the company claims grows twice as fast as conventionally farmed salmon stock, making fish farming more efficient. Sharratt says if AquaBounty successfully jumps through all the regulatory hoops, its initial plan is to produce the GE salmon eggs in PEI, ship them to Panama to be raised and processed, and then shipped back into the US for consumption. It's not hard to extrapolate that the longer-term business plan would be to supply all of the current salmon farming operations around the world, including those close to home.
Using genetic material from a mouse and a virus, the Enviropig™ has been developed to digest plant phosphorus more efficiently. "It's actually genetically engineered for factory farming," says Sharratt. Her statement is backed up by small-scale farmers who raise pigs, and use the phosphorus and other nutrients in the pig's waste to fertilize crops. It's only under factory farming conditions that a pig's waste truly becomes waste. Sharratt suggests that BC pig farmers would be wise to reject the introduction of the Enviropig™ into their industry. She forecasts a consumer backlash that could cripple the industry if these pigs were introduced into our province.
The final, and perhaps most alarming, GE crop that could be headed our way is alfalfa. Sharratt worries that GE alfalfa is especially troublesome for organic growers who often use alfalfa to build soil. "Contamination from alfalfa is assured," she says. "It's inevitable because it's a perennial crop, and it's pollinated by bees."
We are lucky in BC in that we don't have huge chunks of land given over to large-scale commodity farming. By the nature of our geography, and perhaps our collective culture, we've mostly avoided the introduction of GE crops onto our lands, but these recent developments show that if we are to keep control of our food we need to remain informed.
To keep informed about consumer actions around GE food, visit the CBAN website at cban.ca
Information local to BC can be found at GE Free BC, a watchdog organization working to develop GE-free zones throughout the province. gefreebc.org
Jeff Nield is a researcher and writer specializing in local food systems. He co-writes Field Notes for FarmFolkCityFolk Society to contribute to their mandate of building a just and sustainable food system in British Columbia. farmfolkcityfolk.ca
Honest Food Labelling
These countries require labelling of GE foods and allow consumers to make informed choices. Why doesn't Canada?
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
China
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
United Kingdom
If you know of other countries that belong on this list, please email info@ediblevancouver.com. If you think genetically engineered food in Canada should be labelled as such, please tell your Member of Parliament how you feel.
SOME 70 PER CENT OF ALL PROCESSED FOODS likely contain genetically engineered ingredients. That may sound like I'm hedging my bets, but since we have no labelling laws, and the companies that produce GE food aren't offering any information on the subject, we are left to extrapolate.
What we do know is that over 148 million hectares of GE croplands were planted worldwide this year. In the US, 93 per cent of the soy crop, 86 per cent of the field corn crop, and 93 per cent of the canola crop are GE varieties. Take a look at the ingredient list of any processed food on the grocery store shelf and you will probably find one, if not all, of these crops listed in one form or another.
Even if you don't eat Pop-Tarts®, Twinkies, or chicken nuggets, 70 per cent is cause for alarm. It means that the vast majority of the North American populace at least partially survives on food made with ingredients that are patented, owned by corporations, and being grown as part of a massive barely-regulated experiment.
While we still don't have mandatory labelling of foods made with GE ingredients, it is not impossible for an informed eater to avoid genetically engineered food. (Choose organic.) It's the unintended and–as more studies emerge–increasingly negative environmental consequences that are more difficult to avoid. These consequences germinate in open fields throughout farm country.
"There are only four [genetically engineered] crops legal to be grown in Canada right now: corn, soy, canola, and white sugar beet," says Lucy Sharratt, coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. Soy and sugar beets are not grown in BC in any significant number, but the (relatively small compared to the prairies) canola harvest in Northern BC is most likely entirely grown with genetically engineered seeds. And while this is of concern, far more acreage is given over to GE corn, most notably grown as forage on dairy farms. According to BC's Ministry of Agriculture there are almost 850 dairy farms throughout the province, with 70 per cent of those farms in the Fraser Valley.
Corn is genetically engineered for two main reasons: resistance to pests and resistance to herbicides. In an industrial agriculture environment, conventional wisdom could dictate that a farmer would be a fool to not plant genetically engineered varieties. Especially now that products like SmartStax corn have been developed. (This variety combines six insect-resistant traits with two pesticide-resistant traits, and was developed as a cross-licensing deal between Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto.)
Because of industry consolidation (Monsanto is both the world's largest seed company and the largest genetic engineering company) it is becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to find non-GE seeds. "In those crops where there are genetically engineered varieties, companies can gradually get rid of non-GE lines in their catalogue," says Sharratt. "Many BC farmers, when buying their corn seed, may not even know it's genetically engineered."
With the increasing consumer concern around genetically engineered food, it's perhaps not surprising that the conventional BC dairy farmers and seed suppliers contacted for this article declined to be interviewed. CropLife Canada, a trade association with a member list that reads like a who's who of big ag and biotech, was willing to suggest some benefits of genetically engineered crops.
"Plant biotechnology is a tool that helps farmers grow more crops on less land, which means farmers are better able to protect the forests, wetlands, and other terrain that would otherwise be needed for food production," says Janice Tranberg, CropLife Canada's Vice-President for Western Canada. Indeed, feeding humanity while cultivating less land, and requiring less labour, is a noble idea. But it is eminently more sensible to establish integrated sustainable farming practices that don't rely on multinational corporations to supply seed and chemical inputs for monocropping.
Products from AquaBounty and Okanagan Specialty Fruits, along with the University of Guelph's Enviropig™ are part of the next wave of GE foods that British Columbians could see being grown and raised in our province. Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) is hoping to introduce a non-browning apple, mostly for the "fresh-cut produce market." Call me old-fashioned, but I like my apples whole, or heck, even freshly sliced, and if I can't finish the entire fruit before it browns I know it will make fine compost.
The technology behind genetically engineered food may yet prove to be a boon to humanity. But, as it stands now, the vast majority of GE foods are developed for an industrial food system driven by profit.
AquaBounty hopes to commercialize its GE Atlantic salmon, which the company claims grows twice as fast as conventionally farmed salmon stock, making fish farming more efficient. Sharratt says if AquaBounty successfully jumps through all the regulatory hoops, its initial plan is to produce the GE salmon eggs in PEI, ship them to Panama to be raised and processed, and then shipped back into the US for consumption. It's not hard to extrapolate that the longer-term business plan would be to supply all of the current salmon farming operations around the world, including those close to home.
Using genetic material from a mouse and a virus, the Enviropig™ has been developed to digest plant phosphorus more efficiently. "It's actually genetically engineered for factory farming," says Sharratt. Her statement is backed up by small-scale farmers who raise pigs, and use the phosphorus and other nutrients in the pig's waste to fertilize crops. It's only under factory farming conditions that a pig's waste truly becomes waste. Sharratt suggests that BC pig farmers would be wise to reject the introduction of the Enviropig™ into their industry. She forecasts a consumer backlash that could cripple the industry if these pigs were introduced into our province.
The final, and perhaps most alarming, GE crop that could be headed our way is alfalfa. Sharratt worries that GE alfalfa is especially troublesome for organic growers who often use alfalfa to build soil. "Contamination from alfalfa is assured," she says. "It's inevitable because it's a perennial crop, and it's pollinated by bees."
We are lucky in BC in that we don't have huge chunks of land given over to large-scale commodity farming. By the nature of our geography, and perhaps our collective culture, we've mostly avoided the introduction of GE crops onto our lands, but these recent developments show that if we are to keep control of our food we need to remain informed.
To keep informed about consumer actions around GE food, visit the CBAN website at cban.ca
Information local to BC can be found at GE Free BC, a watchdog organization working to develop GE-free zones throughout the province. gefreebc.org
Jeff Nield is a researcher and writer specializing in local food systems. He co-writes Field Notes for FarmFolkCityFolk Society to contribute to their mandate of building a just and sustainable food system in British Columbia. farmfolkcityfolk.ca
Honest Food Labelling
These countries require labelling of GE foods and allow consumers to make informed choices. Why doesn't Canada?
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
China
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
United Kingdom
If you know of other countries that belong on this list, please email info@ediblevancouver.com. If you think genetically engineered food in Canada should be labelled as such, please tell your Member of Parliament how you feel.
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