In June 2018, the Minister of Health unveiled a new set of consolidated food safety regulations for Canada. After more than 4 years of industry consultation, the final Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) was published in Canada Gazette, Part II (CGII).

The new regulations will be phased in starting on January 1, 2019 for meat, egg and dairy followed by fruit and vegetable and later packaged food. Government officials noted that the SFCR has been released in advance in order to give food producers and processors time to become familiar with the new guidelines and prepare their businesses for compliance.

Food production has become increasingly complex and until now, the rules and regulations governing the safety of our food have been equally complex. In an attempt to simplify, the SFCR now encompasses and replaces the following 14 different regulations:

• · Dairy Products Regulations
• · Egg Regulations
• · Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Regulations
• · Honey Regulations
• · Ice-wine Regulations
• · Licensing and Arbitration Regulations
• · Livestock and Poultry Carcass Grading Regulations
• · Organic Products Regulations
• · Maple Products Regulations
• · Processed Egg Regulations
• · Processed Products Regulations
• · Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations
• · Fish Inspection Regulations
• · Meat Inspection Regulations

When the SFCR comes into effect, companies that move food products between territories, provinces or countries will face new licensing requirements. Furthermore, in efforts to stream line the food recall process, new traceability rules for cross border food movement will be introduced. Businesses will now be responsible for keeping detailed records of where each product (food and/or food ingredients) comes from and goes.

The SFCR aims at providing Canadians the assurance that what they are eating is safe, bringing confidence in the food they bring home from the grocery store, farmers markets or farms themselves.

These new rules will also help ensure that food produced and/or processed in Canada follow internationally accepted best practices and meet international food standards. This will provide broader market access for Canadian food businesses to trade with the United States and other countries.

To find out when the new regulations will take affect for your business, visit http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/sfcr/timelines/eng/1528199762125/1528199763186

To read the full Safe Food for Canadians Regulations visit http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2018/2018-06-13/html/sor-dors108-eng.html

Disclaimer: This article is intended for general information only and is not intended as legal opinion or advice. The views and opinions expressed do not reflect the official position of BNG Bossy Nagy Group or any other affiliate.

Sources:

Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (2018). Making food safer and creating more trade opportunities for businesses. Retrieved from https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/making-food-safer-and-creating-more-trade-opportunities-for-businesses-685379641.html

Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (2018). Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. Retrieved from http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/sfcr/eng/1512149177555/1512149203296

Real Agriculture. (2018). New food safety regulations finalized for cross-border sales. Retrieved from https://www.realagriculture.com/2018/06/new-food-safety-regulations-finalized-for-cross-border-sales/