U.S., Mexico Lacked Canada's Appetite For Common Food Standards

Newly released information shows that Canada pushed for a number of issues to be put on the table, but the three countries could reach consensus only on a single objective. North American leaders are meeting in Montebello, Que., this week to discuss progress they've made on their objectives for greater security and competitiveness through the Security and Prosperity Partnership or SPP, with some of them coming up short. "Despite Canada's spirited defence of its four items, agreement among the three countries could only be reached on one item," says a Health Canada report on a trilateral conference call among officials held in March 2006. The document was obtained by The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act. That one item is the development of common approaches for the safe production of fresh fruits and vegetables. Outbreaks of illnesses related to sprouts, berries and leafy foods have become a concern in all three countries. But Canada also wanted to discuss labelling of foods for allergens, nutritional labelling and meat inspection programs. In the case of food labelling, Canada has more stringent regulations than the United States on fortified foods, for example. Full article at http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/08/19/4430138-cp.html [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on August 20, 2007]

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