Thank you.
We do on occasion find formaldehyde in mushrooms. Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring chemical, as well as being a chemical that at times is used in various manufacturing processes, not necessarily in food manufacturing processes.
If ever we do find any level of formaldehyde in a food product, we do request a health hazard assessment to be conducted by Health Canada. Health Canada will look at the product, the consumption of the product, and the distribution of the product in making a determination.
They also do seek to set tolerances that relate to these products. And in setting tolerances, they do take into account international standards as well as their own research in setting those standards.
You referred to an urban legend. I'm not aware of any situation where we have changed a standard to accommodate an import. But there are occasions when standards are revisited on the basis of new scientific information and new evidence. So if a standard is changed it would be because of new science; it would not be because of an import issue or a domestic issue.