September 27, 2019 – Although the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) came into force on January 15, 2019, other requirements will be introduced in 2020 and 2021 based on food commodity, type of activity and business size.
The traceability requirements in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations are based on the international standard established by Codex Alimentarius – tracking of food forward to the immediate customer and back to the immediate supplier. Developing an effective traceability system will allow you to:
- reduce costs associated with recalls by narrowing the scope to only food that may present a risk of injury to human health
- protect consumers against risk of injury to their health from hazards in your food
- increase consumer trust in the safety of the food you sell
The following provides an overview of the regulatory requirements on traceability, as found in Part 5 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
Application of the
traceability requirements
The traceability requirements apply to a broader
scope of food businesses than the licensing and preventive control plan
requirements. For example, some of the traceability requirements apply to
persons who sell food to consumers at retail as well as persons who send or
convey food from one province or territory to another.
The traceability requirements follow a phased-in implementation approach.
Please refer to the traceability interactive tool to help you determine if, how, and on which date the traceability requirements will apply to your food business.
A new section titled “5.0 Traceability-specific labelling requirements by food commodity” has been added to Regulatory requirements: Traceability In section 3, you will find the documentation requirements that you need under the SFCR section 90 and 91.
The timelines for complying with licensing, preventive controls, preventive control plan and traceability requirements vary by food, activity and size of the food business. Traceability requirements will come into force by 2020 and 2021 based on food commodity, type of activity and business size.
For information, relevant to your food business, select the SFCR timelines that apply to you from the list below:
- Timetable: Dairy products, eggs, processed egg products, processed fruit or vegetable products
- Timetable: Fish
- Timetable: Meat products and food animals
- Timetable: Fresh fruit or vegetables
- Timetable: Honey and maple products
- Timetable: Unprocessed food used as grain, oil, pulse, sugar or beverages
- Timetable: Food additives and alcoholic beverages
- Timetable: All other foods
For more information, refer to the SFCR timelines.
Updated information in guidance
Consult the CFIA’s Guidance Finder: Food to search for the latest Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) technical and regulatory information. For more information on the SFCR, please visit CFIA.