83% of Canadians Want Mandatory Labelling of Genetically Modified Foods –Sign the Petition by Nov. 3
New national poll reveals strong public demand for transparency on gene-edited and genetically modified foods
A new national public opinion poll finds that Canadians overwhelmingly want to be informed when products or ingredients on grocery store shelves are genetically modified.
The survey, conducted by Leger Marketing for the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) and Vigilance OGM (GMO Watch), found that 83% of Canadians support mandatory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods.
“This poll confirms that Canadians overwhelmingly want to know where genetically modified foods are in grocery stores,” said Lucy Sharratt of CBAN. “Canadians want transparency and choice on genetically modified foods.”
Growing concerns over unregulated gene-edited foods
New gene editing techniques, such as CRISPR, are being used to alter the DNA of plants and animals — deleting or changing genetic sequences to create new traits. Yet Health Canada has announced it will not conduct safety assessments for many of these gene-edited foods.
This means upcoming gene-edited products will not appear on Health Canada’s public list of approved “novel foods,” even though they will be sold for human consumption.
“The federal government should urgently establish mandatory labelling before unregulated gene-edited fruits and vegetables start showing up unidentified in our grocery produce sections,” said Sharratt.
What’s already on Canadian shelves
CBAN’s research shows that there are currently four GM fruits and vegetables sold in Canada — sweet corn, papaya, squash and pineapple — as well as numerous processed ingredients made from GM corn, canola, soy and sugar beet.
With the rapid expansion of gene-editing technology, many new GM foods could soon appear in stores without labels, leaving consumers completely unaware of what they’re buying.
CBAN warns that gene-edited mustard greens for salad mixes and gene-edited strawberries may be among the first of these new, unregulated GMOs entering the Canadian market.
Canadians call for transparency
A Parliamentary e-petition calling for mandatory labelling of all genetically modified foods has been launched by CBAN and Kids Right to Know, and is sponsored by MP Yves Perron, agriculture critic for the Bloc Québécois.
Canadians are making their message clear: they want the right to know what they’re eating and feeding their families!
Sign the petition before it closes on Monday, November 3 at 1:25PM ET.
Sources:
- Leger Marketing poll, October 2025.
- CBAN, Press Release: Federal government abandons safety assessments and transparency for new gene-edited foods, May 18, 2022.
- Canadian Health Food Association, Press Release: Canadians Call for Transparency on Gene Editing in Food, October 8, 2025.
- CBAN Report, Gene-Edited Fruits and Vegetables: The Threat of New GMOs in Canada, October, 2025.
- Parliamentary E-petition 6768.
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