Yes, it is. According to the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network – CBAN (https://cban.ca/), “almost all of the canola grown in Canada is genetically modified… it is all genetically engineered to be tolerant to herbicides.”
The CBAN website further states, “widespread contamination from GE canola has eliminated the growing of organic canola in most areas of Canada (some non-GE canola is grown on Prince Edward Island for export to Japan).”
What Is Canola?
Canola is not the name of a natural plant. It is a made-up name, using two words – Canada and oil. The name of the original plant involved here is rapeseed, a flowering plant belonging to the mustard family. In the 1970s, crop scientists in Canada used a process called “traditional cross-breeding”, and created a version of rapeseed which did not contain stuff which was unsuitable for human consumption. This new version of rapeseed was named canola.
Enter GMO Canola
In the 1990s, genetically engineered canola seeds were introduced in Canada, which made the canola plant more tolerant of herbicides. Currently, an estimated 97% of canola sold in Canada and 95% sold in the US is genetically engineered.
Non-GMO canola is also grown in Canada in a limited area, which is mostly exported to Japan.
It Is Practically All GMO
Unless you live in Japan, and buy the specifically labelled and appropriately priced non-GMO product, the canola oil you are buying is 100% genetically engineered.
Is Canola Oil Refined?
Canola is a solvent-extracted, chemically refined oil. It goes through refining, bleaching, and deodorizing, the processes which involve high-heat and chemical treatments. The resultant oil is light, has a neutral flavor, and a high smoke point, all of which make it suitable for deep-frying or high-heat cooking.
Is Canola a Healthy Oil?
Canola oil is said to have a lower amount of saturated fats compared to other cooking oils. However, it still contains erucic acid. According to the Canola Council of Canada website, “to meet the official definition of canola, the plant must produce oil containing less than 2% erucic acid.” We can only hope that the canola oil we buy, meets that norm.
The European Food Safety Authority’s concerns regarding erucic acid are narrated in this official article: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/161109
Even if erucic acid in canola is within the norms, would you be comfortable buying canola oil, thinking of it as a healthy oil, particularly knowing its origin and its GMO quality? Well, I will that for you to decide.
Thank you for reading.