The Canadian government is moving towards full implementation of the country's new food safety regulation. The Safe Food for Canadians Act may not come into effect before 2015, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has released a report describing the recent actions taken by the government to improve food safety.
The CFIA points out that the main focus of its actions is to ensure that consumers are protected and that the industry is accountable for how safe its production is. The legislation will provide a more streamlined and consistent approach to safety. As part of the ongoing commitment to safety, the government has already outlined plans to impose more stringent penalties on companies that fail to meet federal standards for meat safety and has taken steps to improve communication with consumers with regard to safe food options and ongoing product recalls, the agency said.
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According to the CFIA, other government achievements in the field of food safety include tougher controls on E.coli bacteria, new meat labeling requirements, more than 750 new inspectors and more effective prevention of unsafe food imports.
Health Minister Rona Ambrose stated that the government and the regulator will continue to work hard to strengthen Canada's food inspection regime so that consumers have the protection they expect and deserve.
