New Import Food Regulations from the CFIA

On June 4, 2013, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) began the long process of strengthening their food safety and consumer protection guidelines by hosting a forum in Gatineau, Quebec. This forum was spent searching for better ways the Agency and stakeholders can work together to improve current labelling requirements, inspection tools, and food safety regulations.

As licensed Canadian Customs brokers, Dilas International was particularly concerned with how these new regulations would affect the import food sector. There is over $1 billion in food and food-related products brought into Canada each month from over 190 different countries. It is an essential part of our responsibility as Customs brokers to ensure that our clients’ products meet the requirements necessary to ensure that their shipments will not be detained.

New Regulations Proposal

The new regulations being proposed by the CFIA would require food importers to put greater emphasis on problem prevention and more consistency in control requirements. Importers will be required to have prevention plans in place to ensure compliance with Canadian food standards.

The new regulations are being designed to support the Safe Food for Canadians Action Plan and the new food inspection model. These changes will have a big impact on food importers and Customs brokers because the new food regulatory framework will require consistent inspections and higher standards for any food that is entering Canada. The inspection stipulations and new food safety regulations were created to institute clear control measures that will make sure the food being shipped meets Canadian requirements.

Labelling Consistency & Modernization

Another one of the main topics at the recent forum was labelling consistency and modernization. This change will allow consumers, inspectors, and Customs brokers to easily identify what is inside a product regardless of where it is being made. Food inspectors assigned to the actual processing facility will be responsible for making sure the label matches the contents prior to shipping.

Regulations Are not in Effect

As it stands right now, this is merely a discussion to generate a new plan of action for the future. Nothing is in effect yet, and the CFIA is planning on continuing the conversation with stakeholders throughout the fall of 2013 before they will make any firm decisions. The CFIA will consider all of the feedback they received during their discussions and act on it if possible.

These new food safety regulations will eventually be implemented and they will affect the more than 25,000 food importers who currently ship into Canada. It could result in the complete overhaul of the importers’ labelling and documentation procedures, as well as how they produce and package their products. If your business is in the food import sector, please contact Dilas International Customs brokers to find out how these changes could affect your future business.