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Non-GM seed needed | Most canola grown 
in North America is genetically modified

A major canola crusher is calling for a retreat from the 17-year march toward genetically modified canola.


Pacific Coast Canola, a newly constructed processing plant in Warden, Washington, will take as much non-GM canola as it can find.


“The market for non-GMO canola in the west coast of the United States seems to have come on very quickly and very strong,” said Joel Horn, president of Legumex Walker Inc., which owns 85 percent of Pacific Coast Canola.


Demand for the specialty oil is driven by a push for GM labelling.


Whole Foods Market recently announced that all products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labelled by 2018 to indicate whether they contain genetically modified ingredients.


The company bills itself as the world’s leader in natural and organic foods, with more than 340 grocery stores in North America and the United Kingdom.


Plenty of companies on the U.S. west coast are taking similar steps, despite the failure of Proposition 37, an attempt to introduce mandatory GM labelling in California.


Elizabeth Sloan, president of Sloan Trends Inc., a California company that studies food trends, told delegates attending the Canola Council of Canada’s annual convention earlier this year that GM labelling is no longer just an idle threat.


“If there is anyone in this room who thinks that GMOs are not going to be an issue, I’m telling you you’re smoking dope,” she said.


Sloan recently attended the Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, California, where thousands of food retailers were showcasing their latest healthy food products.