b'WHEN IS AFOOD NOVEL?Health Canada is proposing to add much-needed clarity to its novel food regulations, which could allow plant breeders to make the most of gene editing technologies.Marc ZienkiewiczCANADAS NOVELfood regulationspossible. Were really glad to see that are about to get an overhaul, bring- things are moving in a good direction ing much-needed clarification thatnow.will help plant breeders to innovateCanada has been falling fur-and use gene editing technologies tother and further behind our trading create new plant varieties. partners and like-minded countries Health Canada recently closed itsin terms of regulatory clarity on the 60-day public consultation in regardissue of novel foods. Thomas notes to Canadas novel food regulations.that the current pre-market regulatory The public consultations surroundrequirements for novel plant products two proposed guidance pieceshave posed a challenge for Canadian focused on plant breeding.plant breeders.Krista Thomas, vice-presidentThese regulations can often trade policy - seed innovation withdouble the cost of producing a new the Canada Grains Council, says thevariety and add an extra two years consultations were welcome newsonto development before that vari-after several years of informal talksety even hits the market, which has between industry and government. reverberations throughout the entire For a long time, weve beenindustry, she says.asking the Government of Canada to clarify the regulatory environmentChanging the Systemfor gene editing to make sure thatThe regulatory system developed in Canada can stay on a level playingCanada in the early 1990s was cre-field with our trading partners andated to regulate genetically modified that our farmers can have access toproducts (plants, food and feed) that innovation, she says. have novel traits (PNTs). PNT varie-We need this clarity in place soties are approved if a risk assessment that the latest cutting-edge breed- concludes the risk posed by a plant ing techniques could be introducedwith novel traits, or the food/feed successfully in Canada. We all hopedfrom it, is substantially equivalent that that would happen as quickly asin terms of its use and safety to an 18GERMINATION.CAJULY 2021'