Summary of The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations

On January 15, 2019, a new era of food safety in Canada began with the coming into force of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR).
The SFCR make Canada’s food system even safer by focusing on prevention and allowing for faster removal of unsafe food from the marketplace. The SFCR are consistent with international standards and will help to maintain and grow market access for Canada’s agricultural sector by aligning Canadian food safety regulations with the key trading partners.

1. The regulations include new requirements related to licensing, traceability, and preventive controls, which apply to businesses that import or prepare food for export or to be sent across provincial or territorial boundaries.
2. Most businesses with $100,000 or more in gross annual food sales will have to prepare and maintain a written preventive control plan.
3. Some requirements must be met immediately (on January 15, 2019), while others will be phased in over a period of 12-30 months based on food commodity, type of activity and business size.

Table (1) shows how to determine whether the requirements apply to your facility on January 15, 2019.

Businesses should consult the CFIA for more detailed information on which requirements that may apply to your activities. For example, food sectors that were not required to be registered or licensed with the CFIA in the past will only need to meet new licensing, preventive control and traceability requirements in 2020 or 2021.

The new requirements apply to Import and export food, manufacture, package or label food to be exported or sent across provincial or territorial boundaries, slaughter food animals and store and handle a meat product in its imported condition.

And the food that need to fulfil the new regulation in 2020 or 2021, includes: Confectionary, Snack foods, Beverages, Oils, Dried herbs and spices, Nuts and seeds, Coffee and tea, Baked goods, Cereals and pasta