Think Locally for your Seasonal Giving
Message from the Chair

As we slowly shift from an unbridled consumer society to a more sustainable one based on conserver economics, many of us are making more thoughtful choices about where we shop and what we buy. The local economy and especially its farmers stand to benefit from this shift. When you think locally, remember the York Region Environmental Alliance, striving to make our own backyards a healthier, more sustainable place to live and work.

GOOD NEWS FOR OUR SUPPORTERS
YREA is now a registered charity #84559 0553 RR0001 so if you find our newsletters informative, and believe the environment is worth defending, please support us. Any contribution over $20 will make you a member and you will receive a tax receipt. Please be generous. To donate, mail your cheque to: 61 Briarcliffe Crescent, Thornhill, ON L4J 7H2.

YREA is in the midst of a major growth spurt. We will continue to produce GREENWORKS to educate and inform and as an important voice for other like-minded groups. Maintaining our strong record of working cooperatively with municipalities and NGOs we will continue to influence public policy and community behaviour through numerous ongoing environmental initiatives. WATCH FOR OUR ENVIRO WORKSHOPS COMING SOON! Check our website for topics, times and places.

Especially at this time of year, I and the Board of Directors and staff of the York Region Environmental Alliance extend our best wishes to you all with our fervent hopes for a greener, more peaceful world.

Reading the Label (and in-between the lines)
Rae Bowie, YREA Director, East Gwilimbury

Many consumers are concerned about the quality of their food, where the food originated, and how it was processed. Concern peaked last year with reports of contaminated pet food, ingredients in toothpaste, medications and seafood from China. A poll by Can West News Services last year found that two-thirds of Canadians are worried about the safety of their food. Most indicated they were willing to pay higher prices to ensure foods are screened more diligently. It is difficult for consumers to get the information they require to make knowledgeable food choices.

Food labeling in Canada for the most part is misleading. Currently foods labeled Product of Canada must meet two conditions:

• The substantial transformation of the goods must have occurred in Canada
• At least 51% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the goods are Canadian

These two conditions are confusing and have made it impossible for consumers to have any idea where the food originated.

However, change is on the way:

New Canada Food Labeling Guidelines come into effect December 31, 2008. Unfortunately, the new rules will be voluntary.

• Product of Canada will be restricted to products where virtually all major ingredients, processing and labor used to produce a food are Canadian with the exception of minor additives or spices that are not found in Canada.
• Made in Canada labels will signify that a food product is manufactured or processed in Canada. Before a Made in Canada label could be used on a food product, the last substantial transformation of the product must have occurred in Canada and the claim would be modified with either Made in Canada from domestic ingredients or Made in Canada from imported Ingredients.

Although this is all good news, it is disappointing that the rules will be voluntary. As consumers, we need to support the companies that properly label their products, thereby exerting pressure on companies that do not. There is sure to be confusion between the similar labeling designations and consumer education will be of paramount importance. Also, there are no requirements in the new guidelines to identify an imported ingredient by country of origin. This is very important information that would help consumers evaluate not only the food quality but also such things as labor conditions, pesticide use and environmental land use practices.

Demands to label genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified organisms (GMO) have so far fallen on deaf Federal ears due to the huge lobbying campaigns from the producers of these products. They know full well that if most of us saw a food had been GE or GMO we wouldn’t buy it. However, many producers of items made from crops that could be GE, such as soybeans, are voluntarily labeling them ‘not made from GMO’.

Also scheduled for release in December, 2008 will be the new biologique Canada organic label. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) the purpose of a federal regulatory system for organic products is threefold - to provide protection for the consumer from deceptive or misleading marketing, to support domestic market development enabling more growers to adopt organic, sustainable practices and to facilitate international market access, in particular, the European Union.