Genetically engineered/modified foods in city daycares: the canola oil used for cooking. Parent Andreea Ionescu called the company and confirmed. Also according to the Greenpeace shoppers guide on avoiding GMO food, some of the cereal and cookies served also contain gmo: Dare/KRAFT cookies, Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Crispix, and probably other foods as well.

Another important statistic from Greenpeace is that from 1996 up to the present, about 70% of processed food in Canada contains some GM ingredients.

Children today are exposed to a type of experimental food tempering that no generation before has experienced.

Greenpeace shoppers guide to avoiding GMO.
http://gmoguide.greenpeace.ca/

We are not blaming the City of Toronto for serving GMO food as there is no labelling for such foods. A “progressive stance” in this case, would be requiring food suppliers to go back to the “old fashioned” food that Nature wanted us to eat, that has not been UNnaturally genetically engineered by corporations.

Also check out:

BC residents have the right to know what is in the food they are eating.
Proposed law gives consumer the right to know what they feed the kids

December 3, 2007

Brenda Patterson
General Manager of Children’s Services
Metro Hall
10th Floor, 55 John Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 3C6

Dear Brenda Patterson,

I am writing to you in support of the Better Daycare Food Network’s request to eliminate exposure to the endocrine disruptor, bisphenol A in City of Toronto day cares, by switching to the non-canned version (fresh, frozen, in a glass container, or cooked from scratch) for the following foods: fruits, vegetables, sauces, soup and fish.

Bisphenol A is used in many everyday products, such as hard plastic bottles (including baby bottles) and the linings of some food and drink cans. An expert panel of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) has concluded that BPA exposure to fetuses and to children could have behavioural and nervous system impacts. A precautionary approach demands that we reduce our exposure to this chemical.

Daycares should be healthy environments for children and parents are increasingly concerned about exposure to potentially damaging toxins. The City College day care, run by George Brown College, has already decided to phase out the use of bisphenol A products as much as possible.

The provincial and federal governments are considering regulating bisphenol A, but this process may take considerable time to implement. After meeting with our advocates the McGuinty government said they will ban the chemical if necessary.

We urge you to take this request seriously and ban bisphenol A in your Toronto day cares.

Sincerely,

Rick Smith, Ph. D
Executive Director
Environmental Defence

cc. to the City Councillors on the Board of Health
Andreea Ionescu