Health Canada is facing mounting public and industry pressure after attempting to quietly advance a policy change that would have allowed cloned-animal meat and lab-grown “cellular agriculture” products onto Canadian grocery shelves, without mandatory labelling.

The proposal framed meat cultivated from animal cells, as well as products derived from the offspring of cloned cattle and pigs, as equivalent to conventionally raised meat, which sparked immediate concern among consumers, farmers, and food-transparency advocates.

Following public outcry and critical industry feedback, Health Canada has since paused the policy update. In a revised notice, the department acknowledged receiving “significant input” about the implications of the proposed change. As a result, the update has been “indefinitely paused” to allow for further discussion.

For now, foods produced from cloned cattle and swine will continue to require assessment under Canada’s novel food regulations, meaning they cannot be sold without federal review and authorization. While none have made it to market yet, this is exactly how the system should remain unless full transparency, through labelling for consumers, is guaranteed.

It’s hard to imagine federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel emerging from this without political fallout. The opaque, poorly communicated rollout was about to leave Canadians blindsided by a policy poised to redefine what counts as meat in this country.

One of the country’s largest organic pork producers, DuBreton, was the first private sector farming company to denounce the measure. The company publicly opposed the policy shift and pledged to voluntarily label its products to reassure consumers seeking conventionally raised meat. CEO Vincent Breton emphasized that innovation should never come at the expense of transparency, stating, “There is nothing wrong with innovation… but never at the expense of an honest food system.”

This proves that this isn’t about a rejection of scientific advancement, but about preserving consumer choice. DuBreton’s stance shows that Canadians deserve clear labelling to distinguish between traditional meat and products produced in a petri dish.

Removing labelling requirements only serves to further erode public trust in Health Canada, and disadvantage farmers raising livestock through conventional means. After all, if such products are truly as safe as conventional food as they say, transparency shouldn’t be an issue.

Please sign our petition to require Health Canada to label cloned and lab-grown meat!

9,118 signatures

Goal: 10,000 signatures

Health Canada attempted to approve cloned and lab-grown meat for Canadian grocery stores without mandatory labelling — but after significant backlash, the Department has now paused the policy update. For the moment, these products remain classified as novel foods, with mandatory assessment still required. We call on Minister Marjorie Michel to make that pause permanent by formally maintaining the novel food designation so that clear, honest labelling stays mandatory. If these products are truly as safe as claimed, Health Canada should have no hesitation about putting that information directly on the package.

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