Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 30, 2023
A number of small business operators have expressed an interest in establishing a not-for-profit trade association to represent them in dealings with Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Environment and Climate Change Canada and Natural Resources Canada. This vast sector is not represented when regulators issue Notices of Intent or Proposed Regulations. The common denominators are that the each is impacted by one or more regulatory requirements to label the products they import or sell and none have the resources to join main stream trade associations. If you are interested, please take a moment to express your interest. Please save the date for the live webinar in the official language of your choice: -English webinar: February 22, 2023 13:00 – 14:00 (EST) -French webinar: February 23, 2023 11:00 – 12:00 (EST) The video is just over 4 minutes and provides an interesting history of food and drug safety issues. Looking back at 2022, the FDA has compiled a list of select accomplishments in each Core Element of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety: Tech-Enabled Traceability, Smarter Tools and Approaches for Prevention and Outbreak Response, New Business Models and Retail Modernization, and Food Safety Culture. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) underlined the crucial importance of concrete measures to accelerate people’s access to healthy diets by transforming agrifood systems to be more resilient, efficient, sustainable and inclusive.
The Ontario Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) has been working to elevate our Occupational Health & Safety Management System (OHSMS) so that is meets ISO 45001/CSA Z45001 standard requirements. In April 2022 we received our ISO-45001 Certificate. New Brunswickers are invited to participate in the pre-budget consultation process for the 2023-24 budget. A pre-budget consultation document provides context on challenges facing the province, contains current financial information, and poses questions related to the government’s priorities: The online survey received approximately 3,545 responses from self-identified NWT residents. 3,071 survey respondents were in favour of ending seasonal time changes and switching to a permanent time standard, with 53.2% of respondents preferring Mountain Daylight Saving Time. The most common factor behind this preference was a desire for more sunlight hours in the day. The FDA final rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods (Food Traceability Final Rule) establishes traceability recordkeeping requirements, beyond those in existing regulations, for persons who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods included on the Food Traceability List (FTL). The FDA’s existing authorities provide only limited tools for managing many of the risks associated with CBD products. Under a new potential regulatory pathway, consumers could benefit from safeguards and oversight to manage and minimize risks related to CBD products. Some risk management tools could include clear labels, including warning labels, prevention of contaminants. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a 60-day procedural notice on its plans to conduct a study entitled “Quantitative Research on Front of Package Labeling on Packaged Foods.” As part of the Paperwork Reduction Act, federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register on each proposed information collection to give the public the opportunity to comment. Recent storms impacting the West Coast of the United States have caused significant flooding with the potential to impact agriculture in the state of California. The FDA would like to remind food producers, including produce farms, of our online resource page intended to help food producers impacted by flooding and severe weather events. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued for public comment “Action Levels for Lead in Food Intended for Babies and Young Children: Draft Guidance for Industry.” As the agency outlined in Closer to Zero, we expect over time for this guidance, together with other activities, to result in industry progressively reducing levels of lead in foods to as low as possible. The draft guidance announced today supports the FDA’s goal of reducing dietary exposure to lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, and the associated health effects, while maintaining access to nutritious foods. EPA issued a final rule in the Federal Register of Friday, December 2, 2022, concerning significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs) and a Microbial Commercial Activity Notice (MCAN). This document corrects a typographical error in the regulatory text for the chemical substance generically identified as hindered amine alkyl ester compounds (PMN P-16-167). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule that would prevent companies from starting or resuming the manufacture, processing or use of an estimated 300 per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have not been made or used for many years without a complete EPA review and risk determination. In the past, these chemicals, known as “inactive PFAS,” may have been used in many industries in a variety of ways, including as binding agents, surfactants, in the production of sealants and gaskets, and may also have been released into the environment. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is correcting the final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on December 27, 2022. The final rule made editorial revisions and clarifications to the hazardous materials regulations including the hazardous materials table. The corrections address several errors to the hazardous material entries in the hazardous materials table. Effective January 27, 2023, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is adding 1-bromo-3-chloropropane (CAS RN 109-70-6), 1-butyl glycidyl ether (CAS RN 2426-08-6), and glycidyl methacrylate (CAS RN 106-91-2) to the list of chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65. The warning requirement for significant exposures to these chemicals will take effect on January 27, 2024. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is organising a workshop to discuss the critical needs for transitioning to an animal-free regulatory system. The goal is to bring together stakeholders and develop a shared understanding of the potential short- and long-term benefits of new approach methodologies. The workshop is part of our commitment to support the transition to an animal-free regulatory system. The European Commission amended some of the information requirements for registering chemicals under REACH in 2021 and 2022. As of 1 May 2023, ECHA will start checking both new registrations and updates to existing ones against the revised requirements. This manual helps lead and member registrants of joint submissions to share information when preparing a chemical safety report (CSR) for REACH registrations using Chesar. Safety Share Firms are contacting New Brunswick employers and suggesting they are non-compliant with provincial OHS laws. The representatives may claim to be WorkSafeNB or use aggressive sales tactics to push unneeded goods and services. These firms may use the WorkSafeNB or Government of New Brunswick logo without permission. Anyone who wish to file a complaint on the tactics of a company soliciting products and services can also contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1 888 495-8501. Have an event you would like to share? Please send details to [email protected]. Learn more about the RACE process of hazard recognition or identification, risk assessment methodologies, control options, and the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of controls, and learn the value of a coordinated hazard identification and risk assessment system. The European Commission has revised some of the information requirements for registering chemicals under REACH (Action 1, Action 2). This webinar focuses on the new and amended completeness check rules brought by this revision to help you prepare a complete registration dossier. We will also give you an overview of the process in general. Alberta Chemistry and Plastics Day is an annual event designed to build dialogue on common issues, better understand industry and government positions, and get to know new participants from both industry and government. FDA and Health Canada will be co-hosting a regional public meeting to provide information to stakeholders and solicit input prior to the next ICH biannual Assembly meeting scheduled for June 12-13, 2023. No fee to attend. The 2023 Consumer Food Safety Education Conference (CFSEC) will bring answers and clarity to questions like this and more. While the science behind safe food handling and hand hygiene guidance hasn’t changed, the way people are sourcing their food, experiencing their food and receiving information is changing. ChemCon The Americas 2023 is a global platform which brings together many experts representing companies, authorities and international organisations from over 25 countries. Presentations given by more than 50 speakers from governments and industry will focus in the field of international chemical legislation all over the world, like TSCA, EU-REACH, K-REACH, GHS and country specific information on inventories, labelling requirements, etc. PetroChem Canada West brings together the western Canadian petrochemical, chemical, emerging biochemical manufacturers together with their supply chain and multiple levels of government to discuss the opportunities to expand and further develop a sustainable downstream sector in Alberta. Take this opportunity to mark in your calendars next years Bakery Showcase, May 14, 15 2023 in Vancouver BC. Over two days delegates will come to learn from dozens industry leaders and technical experts about the exciting opportunities within Canada’s downstream sector. There is no other health and safety event like this in Canada. Make a plan to join us for this two-day national event that will bring together leaders, change makers, and subject experts representing government, labour, and workplaces, to share their knowledge and experience around current and emerging health and safety issues.
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