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For Immediate
Release:
Ontario to Repeal Restriction on Consumer Choice Dairy
Farmers’ Opposition to Ontario’s Food Safety and Quality Act Jeopardizes
Consumer Choice December 3, 2001
(Toronto) – In a bid to maintain an antiquated law that restricts consumer
choice, dairy farmer lobbyists have asked the Ontario government to not pass
legislation that will improve food safety and quality. Bill 87, Food Safety
and Quality Act, would repeal the protectionist Edible Oil Products Act that
denies Ontario consumers healthy, low-in-saturated fat dairy/vegetable oil
blended products that are available virtually everywhere else in the world.
The current Edible Oil Products Act makes it illegal to manufacture or
sell in Ontario any product that combines a non-dairy oil or fat with a dairy
product. In September 1997,
edible oil products were included in the scope and coverage of the Agreement on
Internal Trade, thereby obliging all provinces to remove legislation that
restricts the movement of dairy/vegetable oil products in Canada. “Members of the
Edible Oils Foods Association -- representing both dairy and edible oil
interests -- believe that Ontario consumers should know that dairy farmer
lobbyists are asking the government to sacrifice consumer choice in order to
maintain protectionist legislation,” said Doug Sparks, President of the Edible
Oils Foods Association of Canada. In fact, Bill 87 –
when passed – will provide food safety and quality assurances and
repeal of the Edible Oil Products will provide consumer and economic
benefits to Ontario; specifically, repeal of the Act will: ·
Provide
expanded consumer choice with the introduction of a greater array of healthy,
low saturated fat products; ·
Stimulate
product innovation that will provide a new market for both dairy producers
and edible oil producers; ·
Increase
demand for Ontario soybeans that are predominantly crushed and refined in
Ontario – as well as Canadian Canola seed ·
Allow Ontario companies who
develop unique dairy and edible oil blended products for the Canadian market to
benefit from national economies of scale that will provide a basis to seize export
opportunities in other markets such as the U.S. Existing Federal
Acts, Regulations and guidelines effectively and comprehensively protect the
compositional standards and the labelling integrity of dairy products and would
prevent consumers from mistaking a substitute or blend for a dairy product. Members of the
Edible Oils Food Association of Canada include Archer Daniels Midland
(ADM Agri-Industries Ltd.), CanAmera Foods, Canola Council of Canada, Innovative Foods Corp., Kraft
Canada Inc., Margarine Golden Gate, Michca Inc., Margarine Thibault Inc.,
Ontario Soybean Growers, Parmalat Canada and Unilever
Canada. -- 30 -- For Information:
Sean McPhee
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