FOOD SAFETY
A high-speed pretzel shaping line incorporates signature-blue Festo tubing and food-safe grippers to ensure strict compliance to all the prevalent food safety regulations.
RULES TO FOLLOW With regulations on food safety getting more stringent, no risk is too small for food producers By Patrice Charlebois
26 CANADIANPACKAGING · December 2021
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n the third quarter this year, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued 32 mandatory recall alerts for contaminated or mislabelled foodstuffs. In the third quarter of 2011, 39 health hazard alerts were issued; recalls were voluntary. What spurred the change to more stringent regulations? In 2011, the U.S. enacted the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a legislation that would have a major influence in framing Canada’s own Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA), which came into effect in January 2019. Broadly speaking, the SFCA regulations (SFCR) align Canadian regulatory regime with FSMA, only with fuller coverage. For example, it covers poultry and meat, whereas in the U.S. they remain under the Department of Agriculture
(DEA) jurisdiction. Like FSMA, the Canadian reforms shifted the emphasis in risk mitigation from “should do” to “must do,” with increased emphasis on prevention. Inspection regimes and penalties were toughened, with the Canadian regulations also extended to non-food issues such as weights and consumer protection. Canadian producers with FSMA or third-party food safety certification, or an effective HAACP program to eliminate potential hazards, are already largely SFCR-compliant. Those manufacturing, processing or packaging meat, fish, dairy or egg products are required to have a Preventive Control Plan to identify and minimize risks in their operations. The Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) under FSMA CFR CANADIANPACKAGING.COM
