Safe Foods for Canadians Regulations and Licensing Requirements

The most significant change in the history of Canadian Food and Drug Regulations is about to take effect.

The Safe Food for Canadians Act was passed in November 2012, but the regulations and guidance documents are expected to be published in Canada Gazette I as early as January 2015.

In order to ensure a stronger Food Safety System, CFIA will now require both importers and manufacturers of all foods in Canada to obtain a license and establish baseline food safety requirements that reflect CODEX.

Written Preventative Control Plans (PCPs) will be required covering safety, labelling and trade requirements and active management of food risks.

These plans will be inspected by CFIA before a license will be issued, and the importer or manufacturer will need to demonstrate that their food safety program has been properly implemented and documented. This will not be a onetime event. The preventative control program is expected to demonstrate that procedures are in place to ensure ongoing monitoring.

Importers and manufacturers are expected to identify a "Responsible Person" in the organization that has been appropriately trained in addition to the person who conducts the monitoring. This ensures that the organization is accountable at the highest level. Traceability procedures are also expected to be in place in the event that a food recall is initiated.

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