Canada pauses on allowing unlabeled cloned meat in stores, citing public outcry

Health Canada has stopped its plan to permit unlabeled cloned meat on store shelves after facing criticism from consumers, lawmakers and food industry leaders.

The agency announced an indefinite pause last week, backing away from a policy shift that had been approved quietly in late October.

The planned change would have removed labeling rules for meat produced from somatic cell nuclear transfer clones and their offspring. If implemented, shoppers would have had no clear way to identify whether their beef or pork came from cloned animals.

Health Canada said in a Nov. 19 notice it had received “significant input from both consumers and industry about the implications of this potential policy update.” The department said it had “therefore indefinitely paused the policy update to provide time for further discussions and consideration.” 

It added cloned cattle and swine products remain under the federal novel-food assessment. 

The agency’s retreat follows widespread online backlash. 

Thousands of Canadians criticized the decision once it became public, and many said they would switch to small farmers rather than rely on a system they viewed as lacking transparency, LifeSiteNews reports. 

The pushback reflects a broader frustration with federal bodies moving ahead with major food policy changes without adequate communication, often leaving families without the necessary information to make decisions. 

Some experts have concerns with cloning practices. Researchers have documented high failure rates, birth defects, placental problems and short life spans in cloned animals. Cloned livestock also reportedly require heavy antibiotic treatment. 

While supporters argue the health problems of cloned animals do not affect the final meat products, no comprehensive studies exist on the impact of consuming cloned meat. 

Food policy professor Sylvain Charlebois warned the earlier approval was “deeply disappointing.” 

“By authorizing the sale of meat from cloned animals without mandatory labeling or a formal public announcement, Health Canada risks repeating a familiar and costly failure in risk communication,” he said. 

Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis said the original change removed “any form of disclosure” and warned “soon you could buy beef or pork and have no idea how it was bred.” 

“This is about informed choice,” she posted on X. “If government and industry don’t have to tell us when meat comes from cloned animals, then Canadians need to ask a simple, honest question: What else are we not being told?” 

Meat producers also criticized the original plan. 

“Canadians expect clarity, transparency, and meaningful consultation on issues that directly touch their food supply,” Quebec-based pork supplier duBreton said. It added most Canadians think cloned meat “has no place in farm and food systems.”