The David Suzuki Foundation is collecting signatures in order to lobby the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to enforce stricter seafood-labeling laws in Canada.
Canada does not require its seafood to be labeled with the correct species name or its country of harvest. The Canadian government has drafted new regulations but they do not require this information and the petition coincides with the CFIA seeking feedback on the draft.
The signatures and attached petition will be sent to members of parliament and the director of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Consumer Protection and Market Fairness Division.
The foundation’s petition urges those parties to “bring Canada’s seafood-labeling laws into the 21st century so they reflect what Canadians are looking for, meet or exceed standards enjoyed by other countries and are consistent with the issues the CFIA has itself identified.”
The David Suzuki Foundation is a science-based environmental organization with headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. According to its website, “Through evidence-based research, education and policy analysis, we work to conserve and protect the natural environment, and help create a sustainable Canada.”
“The effort to streamline labeling standards for all food fails to increase transparency for seafood in particular,” the organization wrote in its petition. “Many recommended common seafood names can refer to a variety of different species, some with health or sustainability challenges. This creates confusion. The country of origin label does not typically equate to where the seafood product was caught or harvested, which is also important to seafood safety and sustainability.”
At the time of writing, 6,592 signatures out of a goal of 8,000 signatures had been collected.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
