Why FoodWatch?

Canadians are concerned.
An Ipsos-Reid poll published in October 2001 revealed that three in four Canadians are either "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about food safety issues. According to an Environics poll, most are concerned about contamination that enters food during its production - not that which occurs in their own home.

Canadians are not being informed.
Citizens have a right to know what is in their food, and this should be reflected in law and policy. Currently, governments and retailers are not providing Canadians with meaningful information about toxic contaminants in food, and many of the legal requirements to collect information are discretionary. As a result, Canadians cannot make informed choices or take necessary action to create change.

Canadians, especially children, are at risk.
According to Health Canada, we receive 80% - 95% of our total daily intake of dangerous chemicals such as persistent organic pollutants through our food. Children are especially vulnerable to toxic chemicals through food because (1) they eat more proportional to their body weight than adults and (2) their developing systems are more susceptible to the toxic effects of contaminants.

Regulation, production and distribution systems are contributing to risk.
Our food production systems rely on toxic chemicals and our current regulatory systems cannot adequately control their use. Progress on new laws has been slow and sporadic.

The tools used to assess the potential risks posed by toxic chemicals are based on old data and they fail to protect vulnerable populations such as children.