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AGRI Committee Report

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GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE THIRD REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD - SUBCOMMITTEE ON FOOD SAFETY

BEYOND THE LISTERIOSIS CRISIS: STRENGTHENING THE FOOD SAFETY SYSTEM

  1. The Government of Canada is pleased to respond to the Third Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (SCAAF), Subcommittee on Food Safety, on enhancing the food safety system in Canada.  The Government agrees with the spirit of the Report and shares the Committee's commitment to improve food safety for all Canadians.


  2. The nature of Canada’s food supply is becoming increasingly complex. The environment in which food is produced and processed has evolved as a result of new technologies and consumer demands.  Changes in distribution networks and increased global trade have resulted in larger volumes of food products moving across domestic and international boundaries. 


  3. In light of this continuously evolving and complex food safety environment, the Government of Canada has carefully considered the Committee’s recommendations.  Furthermore, on July 21, 2009, the final report of the Independent Investigator into the August 2008 listeriosis outbreak was released to the public.  The Report contains 57 recommendations for improvements to Canada’s food safety system.  These recommendations are directed towards the meat processing industry, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Health Canada. 


  4. The Government will keep food safety a priority.  It will continue to work with industry stakeholders as well as domestic and international government partners to move forward on initiatives to strengthen the safety and integrity of Canada’s food supply.


Recommendation 1

The Subcommittee recommends that the government call for a fully transparent and independent public inquiry, with all the powers provided under the Inquiries Act, into the actions of the federal government, its agencies and departments in relation to the events leading up to, during, and subsequent to the listeriosis crisis of summer 2008.

  1. The Government of Canada is committed to providing Canadians with an open and transparent account of the events surrounding the listeriosis outbreak related to ready-to-eat meats at Maple Leaf Foods in 2008.  Due diligence was exercised and full cooperation was provided to both the Committee and the Independent Investigator, Ms. Sheila Weatherill, who testified before the Committee that her investigation received full cooperation from all parties involved, as she reviewed millions of documents and interviewed over 100 witnesses. 


  2. The Government of Canada is confident that actions taken to date to investigate the events, circumstances and factors that contributed to the listeriosis outbreak, as well as actions taken to review the efficiency and effectiveness of the response by federal agencies have been thorough, inclusive and comprehensive.


  3. Since the outbreak occurred, reviews have been conducted by the three federal organizations that responded (CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC); the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care; SCAAF; and the Independent Investigator.  Each of these reviews has resulted in published reports with recommendations for improvement.  Together, they are a strong roadmap to guide the Government as it continues to makes improvements to Canada’s food safety system.


Recommendation 2

The Subcommittee recommends that the government ensure that up-to-date food safety and processing technologies as well as new scientific evidence be included in all risk assessments and that this should be achieved by establishing a process of ongoing review of food safety standards.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees that it is important to ensure that the most up-to-date evidence is considered in health risk assessments.  State of the art modelling and risk assessment techniques, foresight analysis, targeted sampling and links to industry developments are critical to understanding the nature and scope of potential risks to health. 


  2. Health Canada continues to enhance risk assessment capacity with expertise and state of the art science, tools and methodologies.  This allows an improved understanding of the effects of processing technologies to be incorporated into assessments.  Health Canada has also improved the logging and tracking of health risk assessments and will be undertaking regular review of these assessments to conduct trend analysis, consider new scientific evidence and identify emerging issues.  In addition, Health Canada is establishing a multi-stakeholder advisory committee in Canada and working internationally to develop and share leading edge science that will support risk assessments. 


  3. The Government agrees that the review of food safety standards should be an ongoing activity and is working to improve the regular review of policies and standards.  This will help to ensure that they continue to be relevant and effective, and reflect the most current science.  Health Canada is reviewing microbiological standards and is updating the 2004 Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods to promote better control of Listeria in high-risk foods and environments.  The revised policy will incorporate the latest science available, and is targeted for completion by March 30th, 2010.


  4. As the CFIA relies on health risk assessments to guide decision-making on recall activities, the Agency will work closely with Health Canada on implementing this recommendation.


Recommendation 3

The Subcommittee recommends that the government increase its collaborative efforts with the United States and consult with stakeholders and consumers on the possibility of developing a common approach to food safety standards.

  1. The Government supports the need for further collaboration with food safety partners in Canada and abroad.  Given the global nature of the food supply and food safety issues, there are mutual benefits for all partners to work together to review and establish food standards.  This is particularly true for Canada and the United States (U.S.) in view of the close integration of the food production systems.  The CFIA and Health Canada work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to foster enhanced communication and regulatory cooperation.  The Government of Canada has also established solid working relationships with counterpart organizations in other countries, and has actively encouraged the alignment of food safety standards and risk management approaches in multilateral fora, in particular in Codex Alimentarius.


  2. The Government agrees that consulting with stakeholders and consumers on food safety issues is important.  The development of food safety standards in Canada includes a strong consultative component with industry, consumers, provincial and territorial partners and other stakeholders to ensure that their concerns and issues (including comparability with international approaches) are considered. 


Recommendation 4

The Subcommittee recommends that the government encourage the implementation of HACCP-based food safety systems certified by the appropriate food safety authority. 

  1. The Government agrees, based on scientific knowledge currently available, that the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) represents the most effective means of improving food safety control in food processing.  The Government will continue to encourage the use of HACCP-based programs for food production and has provided funding for the development and implementation of voluntary HACCP-based on-farm and post-farm food safety programs since 1997.  An additional $130 million under Growing Forward, the agricultural policy framework launched in 2009, has been set aside to facilitate industry adoption of food safety control systems.


  2. Currently, it is mandatory for all federally registered meat, poultry and fish establishments to develop, implement and maintain a HACCP system.  The CFIA encourages the implementation of HACCP systems in all federally registered dairy, processed product, egg, processed egg, honey, maple, and hatchery establishments.


  3. The CFIA ensures the implementation and maintenance of HACCP systems in federally registered meat and poultry establishments, by conducting regulatory system audits and verification activities.  The Agency also encourages the use of HACCP-based systems in other commodities, by holding industry information sessions, providing generic HACCP models and a hazard database that may be used by industry during their HACCP implementation process. In addition, the CFIA provides services to recognize a company's HACCP system based on international requirements.


Recommendation 5

The Subcommittee recommends that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, cooperatively with the union, finds the means and technology such that they can provide accurate, real-time evaluation of inspector resources.

  1. The CFIA is committed to cooperating with unions.  The CFIA is reviewing its data on inspector positions.  This review will enable the creation of an inventory of inspector positions that identifies the commodity linked to each position, such as ready-to-eat-meat inspectors.  The Agency's human resources information system will be upgraded to better capture this detailed information.  This will allow for more accurate and timely assessment and reporting of the Agency's inspector resources.


Recommendation 6

The Subcommittee recommends that the government undertake a comprehensive review of the resources, including training, that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) needs to properly implement, execute and enforce all food inspection activities; and that the government make that review public.

  1. The Government will retain independent third-party experts to undertake a comprehensive review of CFIA resources directed towards food safety outcomes, including an analysis of the resources required to deliver the compliance verification system (CVS).


Recommendation 7

The Subcommittee recommends that the government implement a system to recognize the equivalency of existing provincial inspection systems in comparison to the federal inspection system.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees with the spirit of this recommendation and recognizes that there are benefits associated with better integration of all inspection tools and approaches within the context of international food safety standards.


  2. Recently at their July 2009 meeting, Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Ministers of Agriculture agreed to take a national, science-based approach to food safety and directed officials to advance work in three key areas: enhanced surveillance, pathogen reduction in meat and poultry, and common meat hygiene standards. These actions will build on progress made by federal, provincial and territorial governments in upgrading and improving their systems.


Recommendation 8

The Subcommittee recommends that the government provide funding for food safety initiatives at the different levels of the food supply chain, including the implementation of policy changes that support the development of novel approaches to foodborne pathogens.

  1. Since 1997, the Government of Canada has provided funding for the development and implementation of voluntary HACCP-based on-farm and post-farm food safety programs.

    Growing Forward, the agricultural policy framework launched in 2009, furthers this effort through the Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative, which facilitates industry adoption of food safety control systems. The federal share of the FPT Growing Forward initiative will contribute up to an additional $130 million toward these food safety programs by 2013.


  2. The Government of Canada supports the development and implementation of novel approaches to reduce food pathogens.  Health Canada scientific research in this area has led to the development of more rapid and sensitive methods of detection and varied technologies for inactivation of pathogens.  Health Canada is also working to improve the review and approval of submissions for technologies and processes with proven effectiveness to meet public health needs.  Sodium acetate and sodium diacetate, for example, have been approved for use and will help to reduce the growth of pathogens in several foods, including ready-to-eat meats.


Recommendation 9

The Subcommittee recommends that the federal government develop initiatives designed to work towards the removal of E. coli from the Canadian food chain.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees that continued work is required to reduce foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 within Canada’s food supply.  These pathogens may come from a variety of sources and the Government is working with its partners to reduce the risk of illness through the food continuum, i.e., from “farm to fork”.


  2. FPT partners are working together to develop a national approach on pathogen reduction in meat and poultry, including E. coli O157:H7.  This work was identified by the FPT Agriculture Ministers in February and July 2009, as part of an overall strategy to take a national, science- based approach to food safety. 


  3. In terms of policy, Health Canada and the CFIA are collaborating to update the guideline for the control of E. coli O157:H7 in raw beef products and Health Canada is working on a new policy for enhanced use of safe food handling labels on raw ground beef and poultry.  


Recommendation 10

The Subcommittee recommends that the government restore and publish the Establishment Inspection Reports and Establishment Ratings.

  1. The Government of Canada is aware that consumers are interested in the food safety performance of parties that manufacture food.  The CFIA is committed to keeping consumers informed of food safety risks and has a robust program of publicizing and posting Class 1 and 2 recalls on its website. 


  2. The CFIA is actively investigating ways to share information on industry performance in a manner consistent with its obligations to protect private information.


Recommendation 11

The Subcommittee recommends that the government enhance the national foodborne illnesses surveillance system by developing programs to gather epidemiological data on foodborne illnesses in Canada and that it initiate discussions with the provinces to add relevant foodborne illnesses to the list of nationally notifiable diseases.

  1. The Government of Canada recognizes the need for a comprehensive ongoing national surveillance system for foodborne illness.  Surveillance is a key knowledge and management tool for decision-makers to implement policies that reduce the impact of foodborne illness and to measure the effectiveness of food safety programs.  The Government of Canada has worked to build an effective and coordinated surveillance system for foodborne illness in collaboration with provincial and territorial partners. 


  2. The National Enteric Surveillance System (NESP) and PulseNet Canada are complementary, national systems that contribute to the timely analysis and reporting of laboratory confirmed enteric (gastrointestinal) disease cases and detection of outbreaks.  PHAC has expanded the PulseNet Canada network to formally include the CFIA, substantially improving the CFIA’s ability to detect and respond to outbreaks of foodborne illness.  C-EnterNet supports foodborne illness surveillance efforts by monitoring results from sentinel sites to detect trends in human illness and pathogen exposure levels.


  3. PHAC is currently leading two other initiatives to improve outbreak reporting across the country and to link data from all stakeholders’ laboratory systems through a common government interface. 


  4. In terms of notifiable diseases, the development of the National Notifiable Disease (NND) list is a collaborative effort between public health officials, epidemiologists and laboratory experts from the provinces and territories and from the PHAC.  Health Canada and PHAC have worked with partners to revise the NND list, such that Listeriosis is now a notifiable disease in all provinces and territories.


RECOMMENDATION 12

The Subcommittee recommends that the government review with the provinces the inter-agency protocols in place during an outbreak, including the public communication and information sharing components, and conduct real-scale simulation to validate these protocols.

  1. The Government of Canada is committed to working with provincial/territorial (P/T) partners to improve coordination and response to food safety outbreak situations.  The CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC will work with P/T’s to review and update the Foodborne Illness Outbreak Response Protocol (FIORP), to enhance awareness of roles and responsibilities, and to improve public communication and information sharing.  Processes are being developed to enhance effective and efficient response of federal partners during an outbreak.  Federal partners are working to review the capacity and tools required to meet surge needs and allow effective sharing of information in order to respond to outbreak situations.  Engagement with provinces and territories is planned to ensure a coordinated and collaborative response to multi-jurisdictional foodborne illness outbreaks. 


  2. Federal food safety partners have streamlined their approach to communication on food safety issues to clarify roles and responsibilities for joint communication.  In addition, the CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC are developing a plan to ensure vulnerable populations continue to receive proactive food safety advice and the information they need during foodborne illness outbreaks.


  3. A Memorandum of Understanding on Information Sharing during a Public Health Emergency (MOU) was approved in principle by the FPT Health Ministers in September 2008.  This MOU is a necessary first step to ensure timely, complete, and accurate sharing of information between federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions.  The PHAC is leading an effort to establish formal agreements between jurisdictions for routine sharing of information related to public health events.


  4. Five mock federal/provincial/territorial food safety exercises have been conducted to date.  The Government of Canada is committed to developing and running further simulations to identify additional areas of improvement for inter-organizational cooperation and communications.


Recommendation 13

The Subcommittee recommends that the government review the legislative basis for the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Chief Public Health Officer with a view to ensuring independence from government departments and ministerial influence, so as to protect and restore faith and confidence in Canada’s public health system.

  1. The Public Health Agency of Canada Act affirms the federal government's commitment to public health. The Act underscores the important role that the PHAC and the Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) play to strengthen the public health system, reduce public health risk factors and support national readiness for public health threats.


  2. As deputy head of the Agency, the CPHO manages the operations of the Agency under the Minister of Health.  Further, as the lead public health professional in Canada, the CPHO may issue reports independently on matters relating to public health.  The CPHO may also communicate with health authorities and organizations in Canada and abroad to give information or gain their view on public health.


  3. As the Agency is a distinct entity and the CPHO has the ability to speak to Canadians directly on health issues, the current legislative framework provides the Agency and the CPHO with the authority required for their respective roles.


Recommendation 14

The Subcommittee recommends that the government encourage the development of industry-led traceability systems for all commodities and products.

  1. The Government of Canada, along with its provincial and territorial counterparts, is supporting industry-government partnership through an investment under Growing Forward of over $100 million over 5 years that will reduce the costs related to implementing traceability systems.


  2. This program will strengthen and enhance sectoral traceability databases and systems, while encouraging the adoption of affordable traceability systems throughout the agri-food industry. At their meeting in July 2009, FPT Ministers of Agriculture, with the exception of Saskatchewan, committed to move forward on a comprehensive national traceability system for livestock and poultry.  They agreed that a mandatory, comprehensive national system for livestock will be in place by 2011.


  3. The domestic and international marketplace is increasingly demanding assurance systems that allow for quick and easy trace-back of food products in the event of an animal health crisis or a food recall situation.  A national traceability system, which has the ability to track the movement of livestock, is becoming a prerequisite for competing internationally with other livestock producing countries. 


  4. The Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative (LATI) is a $20 million initiative announced on July 10, 2009, under the Agri-Flexibility Program. LATI supports improvements in traceability capacity in facilities where live animals routinely commingle, such as auction marts.  The program will provide contributions to assist in the alteration of animal handling structures which will enhance animal movement recording/reporting capacity at these facilities.


GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE DISSENTING OPINION BY THE CONERVATIVE PARTY OF CANADA ON THE REPORT OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FOOD SAFETY

FOOD SAFETY IN CANADA: EVERYBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY

  1. The Government of Canada is pleased to respond to the Dissenting Report prepared by the Conservative members of the Government sitting on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (SCAAF) Subcommittee on Food Safety in Canada. 


Recommendation 1

CFIA should continue to work with Industry to develop HACCP, as it focuses on the prevention of food safety risks, rather than ‘after-the-fact’ detection on end products

  1. The Government agrees, based on scientific knowledge currently available, that the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) represents the most effective means of improving food safety control in food processing.  The Government will continue to encourage the use of HACCP-based programs for food production and has provided funding for the development and implementation of voluntary HACCP-based on-farm and post-farm food safety programs since 1997.  An additional $130 million under Growing Forward, the agricultural policy framework launched in 2009, has been set aside to facilitate industry adoption of food safety control systems.


  2. Currently, it is mandatory for all federally registered meat, poultry and fish establishments to develop, implement and maintain a HACCP system.  The CFIA encourages the implementation of HACCP systems in all federally registered dairy, processed product, egg, processed egg, honey, maple, and hatchery establishments. 


  3. The CFIA ensures the implementation and maintenance of HACCP systems in federally registered meat and poultry establishments, by conducting regulatory system audits and verification activities.  The Agency also encourages the use of HACCP-based systems in other commodities, by providing industry information sessions, providing generic HACCP models and a hazard database that may be used by industry during their HACCP implementation process.  In addition, the CFIA provides services to accept a company’s HACCP system. 


Recommendation 2

CVS should remain the fundamental system that guides inspectors and assures consistency and uniformity in their inspection activities.

  1. The Government of Canada supports the Compliance Verification System (CVS) remaining the fundamental CFIA system for meat hygiene inspectors. The CVS is a systematic approach that ensures inspection activities are delivered according to program design, and ensures that industry compliance is assessed against established standards that are based in regulation. It assures consistency and uniformity in inspection activities, and provides a streamlined process for communicating inspection standards to inspection staff.


Recommendation 3

CFIA needs to undertake a full evaluation of CVS to ensure that it is working to its full effectiveness.

  1. The Government will retain independent third-party experts to undertake a comprehensive review of CFIA resources directed towards food safety outcomes, including an analysis of the resources required to deliver the CVS.


Recommendation 4

The Government of Canada should continue to support the new mandatory requirements for Listeria testing and reporting as well as trend analysis by industry to CFIA inspectors.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees and for this reason, new mandatory requirements for Listeria testing and reporting have been incorporated into the CFIA Listeria directive published on February 27, 2009. CFIA Inspectors verify the testing and reporting requirements at federally registered Ready-To-Eat (RTE) meat establishments. Trend analysis is also part of the CFIA requirements as indicated in the Listeria directive.


  2. The directive came into effect on April 1, 2009, and CFIA inspectors have received the necessary training to conduct activities and verification relating to Listeria control. A review of the implementation of the Listeria directive will be conducted six months from the implementation date and the directive will be adjusted as necessary after completion of the review.  The Listeria directive will also be adjusted as required, to reflect any changes made to the Listeria Policy by Health Canada. 


  3. Health Canada is updating its 2004 Listeria Policy for ready-to-eat foods to promote better control of Listeria in high-risk foods and environments.  The target for completion of the revised policy is the end of fiscal year 2009/2010.


Recommendation 5

The CFIA should maintain its evidence-based methodology of initiating recalls.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees and will continue to initiate any recall action based on a Health Risk Assessment (HRA). The HRA is provided to the CFIA by Health Canada which is responsible for establishing policies and standards relating to the safety and nutritional quality of food sold in Canada.  The HRA process uses an evidence-based methodology when providing a health risk for products in the marketplace and the CFIA takes action based on the level of risk indicated in the HRA.

Recommendation 6

The federal government should review its protocols on providing timely, accurate information to the public and put in place the necessary protocols and resources to ensure that there is better communication to the public during a foodborne illness outbreak.

  1. The Government of Canada is committed to working with provincial/territorial (P/T) partners to improve coordination and response to food safety outbreak situations.  The CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC will work with P/T’s to review and update the Foodborne Illness Outbreak Response Protocol (FIORP), to enhance awareness of roles and responsibilities, and to improve public communication and information sharing issues.  The revisions will ensure that all partners understand their roles in communicating to the public, that communications activities and messages are coordinated and that communications to the general public and those at greater risk for illness, occur within a timely manner.


  2. Processes are being developed to enhance effective and efficient response of federal partners during an outbreak.  Federal partners are working to review the capacity and tools required to meet surge needs and allow effective sharing of information in order to respond to outbreak situations.  Engagement with provinces and territories is planned to ensure a coordinated and collaborative response to multi-jurisdictional foodborne illness outbreaks involving multiple partners. 


  3. The Government has already taken steps to improve communications by better coordination between government departments and timely dissemination of clear and consistent information to the public as is evidenced during the H1N1 outbreak and recent recall of wieners due to Listeria.


  4. Federal food safety partners have streamlined their approach to communication on food safety issues to clarify roles and responsibilities for joint communication.  In addition, the CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC are developing a plan to ensure vulnerable populations continue to receive proactive food safety advice and the information they need during foodborne illness outbreaks.


Recommendation 7

The Government of Canada should support Health Canada, PHAC and CFIA’s effort to improve communications between themselves and other jurisdictions.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees that improvement is critical for a timely response during a foodborne illness outbreak.  The CFIA, Health Canada and PHAC meet and communicate on a regular basis to address horizontal issues. During emergencies, specific protocols are activated which describe each organization’s responsibility in managing the emergency and preventing/reducing the number of illnesses. 


  2. The Government has already seen strong improvement in both communications and emergency response operations during the melamine recalls, H1N1 outbreak and the recent recall of wieners due to Listeria.


  3. The FIORP was developed by Health Canada, PHAC, CFIA and P/T partners to guide the multi-jurisdictional response to potential multi-jurisdictional foodborne illness outbreaks.   FIORP is being reviewed and revised in consultation with P/T’s to improve public communication, and to address information and data sharing between laboratories.


  4. A Memorandum of Understanding on Information Sharing during a Public Health Emergency (MOU) was approved in principle by the federal/provincial/territorial (FPT) Health Ministers in September 2008.  This MOU is a necessary first step to ensure timely, complete, accurate sharing of information between federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions.  The PHAC is leading an effort to establish formal agreements between jurisdictions for routine sharing of information related to public health events.


  5. Five mock FPT food safety exercises have been conducted to date.  The Government of Canada is committed to developing and running further simulations to identify additional areas of improvement for inter-organizational cooperation and communications.


Recommendation 8

The FIORP should be activated when a food borne outbreak becomes apparent in order to better facilitate cooperation and communication between all levels of government and their respective agencies and departments.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees and considers the FIORP an important element in managing a multi-jurisdictional foodborne illness outbreak. A central element of the Protocol is the recognition that an Outbreak Investigation Coordinating Committee (OICC) is to be established as needed to coordinate a multi-agency response to a foodborne illness outbreak in Canada. The purpose of the OICC is to allow the partners to share information and coordinate the outbreak investigation response, using the Protocol as a guide. 


  2. In the wake of the 2008 outbreak, the FIORP is being reviewed by the PHAC, Health Canada, and CFIA, in consultation with P/T partners to address the need for improved clarity regarding the establishment of the OICC and its membership and leadership.  Health Canada, CFIA and PHAC will hold information and training sessions to ensure that employees are aware of the protocol and their roles and responsibilities, and will participate in simulation exercises with partners.


Recommendation 9

Due to the complexity of food production the Government of Canada should continue to underscore the importance of the work with the provinces and territories to strengthen the shared responsibility approach to food safety.

  1. The Government of Canada will continue to work with P/T partners to strengthen and improve on areas of shared jurisdiction, as it relates to food safety.  There are various FPT Health and Agriculture committees already in existence, including a joint FPT Food Safety Committee. 


  2. At their meeting in July 2009, FPT Ministers of Agriculture agreed to take a national, science- based approach on food safety and directed officials to advance work in three key areas: enhanced surveillance, pathogen reduction in meat and poultry, and common meat hygiene standards. These actions will build on progress made by federal, provincial and territorial governments in upgrading and improving their systems.  FPT Ministers of Agriculture, also committed to move forward on a comprehensive national traceability system for livestock and poultry, which is critical for managing animal health and food safety issues.


Recommendation 10

The Government of Canada should adopt a plan to increase awareness and education of the public as to the importance of food safety at home.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees that awareness and education are important elements in the prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks.  There are several programs in place to reach Canadians and make them aware of food safety at home.  These programs continue to be delivered and enhanced and new programs are being designed to ensure optimal outreach to Canadians.


  2. The Government of Canada is committed to providing consumers with the information on food safety risks they need to make informed decisions.  The Government is improving its program for publicizing recalls by posting photos along with recall notices.  To ensure that the information they need is relevant, consultation with health and consumer associations as well as consumer focus groups will take place in Fall 2009 to gather input on how to communicate this information to Canadians in the best ways possible.


  3. Additionally, the CFIA has initiated outreach appearances by food safety experts on television food programs and Health Canada is developing an enhanced communication campaign to improve the knowledge, understanding and food safety habits of Canadians.  Health Canada is also developing a food safety communications strategy to communicate food safety information to at-risk groups.  Working with its various stakeholders, the Government of Canada is increasing awareness and education of Canadians on food safety.  Furthermore, Health Canada and the CFIA continue to work with the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education on general food safety messages for consumers and on developing targeted consumer communication on specific issues.


Recommendation 11

The Government of Canada should review all findings of the Independent Investigator’s report.

  1. The Government of Canada is fully committed to ensuring the Canadian food safety system exceeds the expectations of Canadians. To that end, the Government is reviewing all findings from the Independent Investigator's report and is taking action to strengthen the safety and integrity of Canada’s food safety system.


Recommendation 12

The Government of Canada should release the Independent Investigator’s report to the public.

  1. The report of the Independent Investigator was submitted to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food on July 20, 2009 and released to the public by the Independent Investigator on July 21, 2009.


Recommendation 13

The Government of Canada should continue to make food safety a priority and provide CFIA with adequate budgets to ensure Canada’s food system is safe.

  1. The Government will retain independent third-party experts to undertake a comprehensive review of CFIA resources directed towards food safety outcomes, including an analysis of the resources required to deliver the CVS. 


Recommendation 14

The Government of Canada should hire more inspectors as warranted and provide the proper training and resources for them to do their job.

  1. The Government of Canada supports its strong and vibrant workforce, which makes countless contributions on a daily basis to protect the safety of food in the Canadian marketplace.  The CFIA supports its employees by ensuring they have the necessary tools to carry out their responsibilities. 


  2. The CFIA is developing strategies and options to improve the recruitment and retention of technical experts with specialized expertise. 


  3. In addition, the Government will retain independent third-party experts to undertake a comprehensive review of CFIA resources directed towards food safety outcomes, including an analysis of the resources required to deliver the CVS. 


Recommendation 15

The Government of Canada should ensure that its food safety standards are applied consistently across Canada in all federal inspected components of the supply chain.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees that it is important that food safety standards are applied consistently in all federally inspected components of the supply chain, and undertakes regular reviews to identify new scientific evidence, emerging issues and challenges that need to be considered in standard setting.


  2. Health Canada is responsible for establishing policies and setting standards for the safety and nutritional value of food.  The CFIA provides all federal inspection services related to food safety, and enforces the food safety and nutritional quality standards established by Health Canada.  The CFIA incorporates food safety standards in directives to industry and in food safety related inspection manuals and has made it a priority to update and modernize these manuals.


  3. The CFIA applies food safety standards uniformly across the meat program by using the CVS to assess regulatory compliance.  This science-based approach provides front-line inspectors with consistent guidance on how to monitor and verify industry's compliance with the regulations.  In addition to inspection tools like CVS, the CFIA provides training to inspectors to ensure a uniform understanding of requirements.


Recommendation 16

The Government of Canada should encourage its provincial/territorial partners to adopt an equivalent food safety standard in all provincial/territorial abattoirs without putting undue pressure on smaller operations which may cause them to go out of business.

  1. The Government of Canada is fully committed to ensuring that the Canadian food safety system exceeds the expectations of Canadians. Recently at their July 2009 meeting, FPT Ministers of Agriculture agreed to take a national, science-based approach to food safety and directed officials to advance work in three key areas: enhanced surveillance, pathogen reduction in meat and poultry, and common meat hygiene standards. These actions will build on progress made by federal, provincial and territorial governments in upgrading and improving their systems.


Recommendation 17

CFIA should review its policies and procedures with respect to advance warning for imported meat products to Canada.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees and is reviewing its policies and procedures with respect to advance warning for the inspection of meat products imported to Canada.


Recommendation 18

The Government of Canada should continue to ensure imports meet the same standards as domestically produced products.

  1. The Government of Canada has demonstrated its commitment to food safety by committing $113 million in 2008 through the Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan (FCSAP).  Through the FCSAP, the Government of Canada is increasing inspection and verification of industry’s food safety systems in the highest-risk areas, particularly the imported food sector.  Front-line CFIA inspection staff have been increased to undertake border blitzes for high risk commodities, particularly where importers are non-compliant, in order to increase the interception of non-compliant products before distribution, to improve compliance, and to provide additional protection to Canadians. 


  2. To protect Canadians from risks associated with imported foods and to signal to exporting countries as well as domestic producers that Canada is vigilant in ensuring that imported foods meet Canadian food safety standards, the CFIA is implementing several actions such as border inspection activities and post-entry verification of imported food commodities; enhanced tracking of food imports through electronic business solutions; and, enhanced inspections of high risks sectors.


  3. The Government of Canada has also notified its trading partners, via the World Trade Organization (WTO), of the new requirements for RTE meat products, and that equivalent control measures for Listeria monocytogenes in RTE meat products are required for exports to Canada as of April 30, 2009.  A review of foreign systems will be done by Winter 2010. 


Recommendation 19

The Government of Canada should review the present system of pre-market labelling to protect the integrity of imported agricultural products while providing greater flexibility for Canadian companies to provide these imported products to consumers in a timely and safe manner.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees and the CFIA has reviewed its current practice.  Steps have been taken to reduce any backlog of labels to be reviewed and to remain within current time standards to ensure imported products are available to consumers in a timely and safe manner. The CFIA will continue to monitor its label review process to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pre-market labelling.


Recommendation 20

The Government of Canada should continue to challenge COOL at the WTO and strive for a negotiated settlement.

  1. The Government of Canada agrees and is taking action on behalf of Canadian farmers in the dispute over U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) measures. Canada has taken the next step in the WTO dispute settlement process by formally seeking further consultations with the United States.


  2. Mexico is in the process of filing a similar request at the WTO. This underscores both countries’ concerns over the impact of COOL on the integrated North American industry.  WTO consultations provide parties with an opportunity to resolve a dispute through discussions. If consultations fail to resolve the matter, the complaining party may request that the matter be referred to a WTO dispute settlement panel.


  3. Canada has engaged its US counterparts through bilateral discussion on the issue of COOL.  Canada does not consider this to be a food safety issue, but rather considers this a measure against the livestock sector.


Recommendation 21

The Government of Canada should continue to invest in traceability to further protect the initial stages of the food supply chain and increase competitiveness by ensuring these costs are not passed on to Canada’s primary producers.

  1. The Government of Canada, along with its provincial and territorial counterparts, is supporting industry-government partnership through an investment under Growing Forward of over $100 million over five years that will reduce the costs related to implementing traceability systems.
  2. FPT Ministers of Agriculture (except for Saskatchewan) committed to move forward on a comprehensive national traceability system for livestock and poultry, which is critical for managing animal health and food safety issues, as well as expanding market access and driving efficiencies. They agreed that a mandatory, comprehensive, national system for livestock will be in place by 2011 and that implementation will be supported by national funding and a regulatory framework.


  3. In addition to providing financial support, governments are examining how traceability information can be shared for emergency management and what regulatory frameworks may be required.  This program will strengthen and enhance sectoral traceability databases and systems, while encouraging the adoption of affordable traceability systems throughout the agri-food industry.


  4. The domestic and international marketplace is increasingly demanding assurance systems that allow for quick and easy traceback of food products in the event of an animal health crisis or a food recall situation.  A national traceability system, which has the ability to track the movement of livestock, is becoming a prerequisite for competing internationally with other livestock producing countries. 


  5. The Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative (LATI) is a $20 million initiative announced on July 10, 2009 under the Agri-Flexibility Program. LATI supports improvements in traceability capacity in facilities where live animals routinely commingle, such as auction marts.  The program will provide contributions to assist in the alteration of animal handling structures which will enhance animal movement recording/reporting capacity at sites where animals from different herds commingle.


Recommendation 22

The Government of Canada should support farmers’ efforts to produce safe food, implement farm HACCP systems, and ensure producers can operate in the most competitive environment possible.

  1. The Government of Canada has provided funding for the development and implementation of on-farm food safety and post-farm food safety programs.  These programs have been developed by industry and reviewed through an FPT recognition process, led by the CFIA with the support of the Agricultural Policy Framework and Growing Forward Policy Framework.  The programs are based on internationally recognized HACCP and their adoption by industry will contribute to the enhancement of food safety.  The federal share of the FPT Growing Forward initiative will contribute up to an additional $ 130 million toward these food safety programs by 2013.  These programs are essential tools for farmers to effectively manage food safety risks, to maintain and increase buyer confidence, and to access international markets