Guelph, Ontario
October 39, 2002

Genetically engineered (GE) food and crops undergo extensive testing to ensure safety well before they ever reach the marketplace in the form of consumer products, such as infant formula, according to a fact sheet posted today by the Food Safety Network at the University of Guelph.

The fact sheet on genetically engineered soybeans in Canada was developed and posted at
http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca//gmo/rrsoy.htm in response to a Greenpeace press release calling on Loblaws stores to stop selling baby food with GE ingredients.

"The manufacture of infant formula baby food is held to the highest standards in Canada, and the products of biotechnology have passed rigorous safety assessments," said Milly Ryan-Harshman, PhD, RD, a former public health nutritionist and specialist in infant feeding. "It is disappointing that
INFACT continues to support the erroneous ideas of Greenpeace. Infant formula made with genetically modified or conventional ingredients are safe." Soy is one of the ingredients found in infant formula. Approximately 45-50 per cent of the soybeans grown in Ontario are genetically engineered to be
herbicide tolerant. The Food Safety Network fact sheet provides an overview of the safety assessments conducted before genetically engineered crops can be approved for use as well as background information on herbicide tolerant soybeans, their use in Canada and reasons farmers choose to grow them. Dr. Doug Powell, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph said "the approval process for genetically engineered food in Canada is sound and robust."

The Food Safety Network provides research, commentary, policy evaluation and public information on food safety issues from farm to fork.