From January to April 2017 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency held public consultations on the proposed Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
The proposal aimed to strengthen Canada’s international reputation as a leader in food safety by establishing consistent, prevention-focused requirements for all foods that are imported or prepared for export or interprovincial trade. The proposed Regulations consolidated 14 sets of existing commodity-based regulations into a single set of outcome-based requirements. Additional background information can be found on the CFIA’s Safe Food page.
Over 1,700 submissions were received from businesses, consumers, governments and industry associations during this consultation period, which are summarized in a “What We Heard Report”.
This report is a summary of the feedback received from stakeholders during the consultation period. All comments received were reviewed and considered by the CFIA to help inform the development of final regulations. While submissions included a wide range of specific comments, this report summarizes feedback into five common themes – technical, small businesses, organic products, implementation, and trade and competitiveness.
Next steps
The comments received have provided valuable direction. The CFIA is now preparing for the final publication of the regulations which is planned to appear in Canada Gazette, Part II in spring 2018. The timing for the coming into force of the Act and Regulations will be announced when the Regulations are published.
Learn more on the Proposed Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.