Food Safety in Canada
Canada enjoys one of the safest food supplies in the world but people are increasingly concerned about food safety. How can we be sure that food produced with crop protection products is safe and that product residues in our food do not put us at risk?
Commercially available fruit and vegetables are subject to regulations and are monitored by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for contamination. Studies have shown that in more than 80% of retail produce no pesticide residues are detectable. Less than 3% of all vegetables and fruit contain pesticide residue above Canada’s maximum limits. In this type of situation – if a laboratory analysis indicates that action is required – the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will investigate the issue and, if needed, recall the food from the shelves.
Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs)
To protect people from any possible harm arising from pesticide residues, Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) have been set for each pesticide/crop combination. So even eating food with residues at the maximum limit will not cause any adverse health effects. When product residues do occur in food, they occur at very low levels well below the established MRLs.
This is largely because the responsible, on-farm treatment of a given crop leads to even lower residues than the MRL. Processing, storage, washing and cooking all combine to further reduce residues. It is important to recognize that a residue does not mean a risk. Special dietary safety consideration is given to subpopulations such as children that consumer higher than average food types such as fruit juice. No groups of the population are exposed to residues in food at levels that threaten their health.
Everyone who has a role in the production of food has a vested interest in producing safe food: the companies that research and develop crop protection products, the farmers who use these products, the people who package or process these crops, and the grocers who sell the food.
Home-grown vegetables and fruit
There is no government testing on vegetables and fruit grown at home, and no way to determine what level of pesticide residue is present. Pesticides registered for domestic (home) use are regulated to provide safety to the user and the vegetable and fruit treated with a pesticide. Remember you should:
- Follow the handling and application directions on the pesticide label.
- Follow the pre-harvest interval on the pesticide label.
- Wash produce before eating.
What are organic vegetables and fruits ?
Insects, weeds, bacteria and other organisms can impact the quality and affordability of the food we enjoy.
Whether a farmer is approaching pest management using organic or conventional methods, agriculture threats to their crop must be managed. When it comes to pest management all farmers have access to a toolbox including monitoring techniques, prevention, use of predatory insects and pesticides. Farmers call this Integrated Pest Management. Organic farmers limit their toolbox to a list of pesticides that are considered acceptable by their organic self-regulatory body. And farmers using conventional agriculture techniques do not limit their selection of tools and use the appropriate pesticide to manage their threat.
Scientists have demonstrated that both methods are equally safe and produce food with similar nutritional levels so Canadians can feel comfortable with whichever method of food production they choose.
The Canadian organic agricultural industry is self-regulated as Canada does not yet have mandatory standards for organic food production. In order for food to be labeled “certified organic”, it must have been grown according to set standards that are verified by an independent organization.