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Canada Reworks Food Import Regulations

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

Canada is looking at new regulations for certain imported food products.
As part of the process, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is seeking input from stakeholders and the Canadian public on the proposed principles that will guide the development of new imported food regulations. 
This would include enhanced food safety requirements as well as an importer licensing initiative.
The consultation, which is available on the CFIA Website and open for comments until Oct. 4, 2010, is intended to assist in the development of the proposed regulations. 
The CFIA also wants to hear from stakeholders and the Canadian public at information and consultation sessions that will be taking place in Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver.
The CFIA is proposing to add new regulations under the Canada Agricultural Products Act. The new regulations are intended to:

• strengthen the accountability of importers for the safety of food products,

• enhance the CFIA's ability to communicate important food safety information, and

• increase consumer confidence in the safety of Canada's food supply.

The CFIA says it recognizes that the majority of food manufacturers, processors, distributors, and importers provide Canadians with safe food. 
At the same time, the agency says there is a need to modernize and sharpen the focus of government inspection to protect Canadians. 
"While our current food safety system has served us well, we must continue to seek ways of improving our system to better respond to risks in this complex global marketplace," the CFIA statement said. 
The CFIA will continue to update Canadians on these regulatory efforts once the consultation period has concluded. 
Visit CFIA's Website for more information and to register for one of the face-to-face information and consultation sessions.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on September 10, 2010 (boomark / email).