Regulations to allow Canadian beef processors to irradiate fresh and/or frozen raw ground beef for food safety purposes will soon be up for public comment. Health Canada on Monday served notice it will soon propose amendments to its Food and Drug Regulations that would add fresh and frozen ground beef to its list of allowed […] Read more
Proposals for irradiating ground beef back on table
Canada says GMO salmon safe for consumption
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada approved a type of genetically modified salmon for sale, health officials said on Thursday, the first such animal to be cleared as safe for consumption in the country. The salmon was approved in the U.S. to be farmed for human consumption last year but has since been a source of […] Read more
Mastitis preventive gets joint Canada/U.S. approval
A new drug to help limit mastitis in dairy cows — and keep a lid on the use of antimicrobials to treat it — has picked up joint approval from Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The two agencies on Thursday announced “simultaneous” approvals for Elanco Animal Health’s injectable drug pegbovigrastim, to […] Read more
USDA clears Monsanto, Syngenta corn traits
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will no longer regulate a genetically-modified corn developed by Monsanto to resist dicamba herbicide, the agency said on Wednesday. The move by the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), means it can now be planted without permits or any additional regulatory oversight from […] Read more
Canada clears Simplot’s spot-resistant GM potato
Potatoes modified for reduced bruising and black spots, and for lower levels of a chemical linked to health risks in baked spuds or fries, have picked up federal approvals. The plant science arm of U.S. potato giant J.R. Simplot announced Monday its first-generation Innate Gen. 1 potato varieties have passed food and feed safety assessments […] Read more
Feds scrap ‘conditional’ pesticide approvals
Federal crop chemical regulators this summer will stop granting “conditional” registrations for new pesticides — a practice already largely on the way out, they note. Health Canada, which oversees the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), said Tuesday it plans to stop granting new conditional registrations starting June 1, describing the move as an “important […] Read more
USDA regulators approve new Syngenta corn trait
Chicago | Reuters — Syngenta on Wednesday cleared one U.S. regulatory hurdle toward domestic marketing of corn seeds containing a trait that is genetically engineered to resist weed killers including glyphosate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said it will no longer regulate the Syngenta Seeds corn trait known […] Read more
Get the scoop on agri-food with ‘Food News’
Reading Time: < 1 minute Food News is a monthly newsletter that provides Alberta’s agri-food industry with current events and programs to support its growth and help with diversification, competitiveness, and market readiness. It includes information on topics such as current events and workshops; training courses; export missions; missions to trade shows; industry support programs; regulatory updates from Health Canada […] Read more
An unsettling discovery via a cool summer treat
Who would have guessed that propylene glycol is a permitted ingredient in a food product?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Long warm days call for cool refreshing treats such as ice cream. One afternoon I was enjoying a milky bar — ignoring the calories and savouring the apparent goodness — when I glanced at the ingredients on the box. Sugar, fat, cholesterol in mind-numbing percentages were accepted — with a good dose of guilt. What […] Read more
Ag chem sector defends 2,4-D over cancer classification
North America’s crop herbicide sector is defending one of its classics against a new classification from the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency. The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) on Monday released its classification of “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for 2,4-D herbicide, along with new classifications for now-defunct insecticides DDT and lindane. […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
