The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), along with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) claim that growth hormones, which are fed to cows, chickens and pigs, have no adverse effects on humans. However, no long-term studies have been conducted to determine the long-term effects of eating meat/dairy products that contain growth hormones.

Growth hormones are injected into animals to speed up the time it takes for that animal to reach maturity, to your dinner table. The growth hormone, bovine somatotropin (rBGH), is given to dairy cows to increase milk production. These hormones greatly increase the rate of raiseing animals to slaughter/milking; thus increasing profit. However, they also have devastating effects on animals. Cows develop infections, endure pain from unnatural, rapid growth, and experience many other side effects from the hormones.  If animals suffer so much from these hormones, what are the hormones in the meat/dairy products we eat doing to us?

Companies like President's Choice who are now promoting meat products in their "Free From" line, claim that their meat is raised "without the use of antibiotics and hormones."  However, the image in the picture I took at a Real Canadian Superstore in Sarnia, ON, Canada, shows fine-print labelling which deliberately misleads consumers, which states: "*all chicken and pork are raised without the use of hormones."  This sign, as you can see, was strategically placed directly in front of their "Free From" beef products, which as the fine-print indicates, is NOT raised free from hormones or antibiotics.  This is fraud and false advertisement by President's Choice.

The "Free From" line by PC costs more than other comparable meat products in the store, as it promotes it is free of antibiotics & hormones.  Yet PC has "Free From" beef products which are misleading consumers by tricking them into thinking they are making a cruelty-free, healthy choice and charging double the price.  Demand that President's Choice remove their beef from their "Free From" product line and demand that they label their products properly and stop deliberately trying to trick consumers.  Boycott PC products until they agree to properly label their hormone-containing meat products on our supermarket shelves.  We have the right to know and the right not to be lied to.

The CFIA's website states the following about labelling of hormone/antibiotic produced meat products and fraud/false labelling on their products.  President's Choice, under Canadian law, is clearly mislabelling and misleadings its consumers.

Source: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/natall/instmpanie.shtml

IV. Raised without the use of added hormones
"No hormones shall be administered in any way (including through the mother) to the animal that forms the food product carrying the claim "raised without the use of hormones" on the label or advertisement.  
"Raised without thte use of hormones" delivers a clear message that the animals were not given hormones.  Claims such as "hotmone free" without any other information appearing on the label could create the impression that the meat in question does not contain hormones.  As meat, poultry and fish contain naturally occurring hormones, the claim "hormone free" is incorrect and inaccurate and should not be used."

Food products sold in Canada must be labelled and advertised in a manner that is accurate and not misleading.  
The Food and Drug ACt, Consumer Packing and Labelling Act, Meat Inspection Act and Fish Inspection Act contain sections which support accurate labelling.  
The Food and Drugs Act (FDA), Subsection 5(1), states that: "No person shal label, package, treat, process, sell or advertise any food in a manner that is false, misleading, deceiptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quantity, composition, merit, or safety."

PETITION LETTER:

Dear President's Choice president, W. Galen Weston,

In regards to your "Free From" line of products, we demand that you properly label your beef products that contain hormones and stop falsely advertising your products to consumers.  Consumers have a right to know if growth hormones are in their food, and we have the right not to be tricked into buying products that mislead consumers into thinking they are raised without antibiotics/hormones.

In Section 7 of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, it states that:

7(1) "No dealer shall apply to any prepackaged product or sell, import into Canada or advertise any prepackaged product that has applied to it a label containing any false or misleading representation that relates to or may reasonably be regarded as relating to that product."

7(2) "For the purposes of this section, "false or misleading representation" includes:

b) any expression, word, figure, depiction or symbol that implies or may reasonably be regarded as implying that a prepackaged product contains any matter not contained in it or does not contain any matter in fact contained in it;
c) any description or illustration of the type, quality, performance, function, origin or method of manufacture or production of a prepackaged product that may reasonably be regarded as likely to deceive a consumer with respect to the matter so described or illustrated."

Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990, Section 94(7) states that:

"No word, picture or design that conveys a false or misleading impression as to the contents, quality, quantity, weight, method or date of production or manufacture or place of origin of the contents of any meat product bearing the meat inspection legend shall be used on the label of or in connection with the meat product."

We, as consumers, demand that you properly label your products in your "Free From" line to stop misleading the public.  This type of misleading advertising is unacceptable and illegal in Canada.  We will be boycotting your products until this change has been made and an apology has been given for this blatent use of misrepresentation.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]