Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 19, 2024
The CFIA developed and consulted on a strategy for modernizing food compositional standards. The feedback will help the CFIA determine the volume and complexity of stakeholders’ requests for modifications to food standards and estimate its resource requirements. Consulting Canadians on the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) The Canada – Costa Rica Organic Equivalency Arrangement (CCROEA) which was originally signed under the Organic Products Regulations in 2013 was updated in July 2024 to refer to the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. This table lists the number of confirmed farmed herds or flocks affected by federally reportable diseases in Canada this year. The numbers are running totals, up until and including the last day of the previous month. Due to the outbreak of HPAI (H5N1) in dairy cattle in the United States (U.S.), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will require an additional certification for Canadian cattle returning from the U.S. after a stay of less than 60 days. Food Allergy Canada, the nation’s leading patient organization dedicated to supporting over three million Canadians impacted by food allergy, launches its “All About Food Allergy” student program–a comprehensive, curriculum-linked and medically-reviewed program designed for students in grades 4 to 6 and available for free to educators across Canada. CFIA has identified that many importers think that infant food includes things like jarred baby food, baby teething crackers, and other baby foods like baby cereals, and importers have been checking this box in error on their licences. This is likely because some importers believed, incorrectly, that infant food included jarred baby foods, teething biscuits, baby cereals, or other foods eaten by babies up to the age of 2 years. Importing infant formula is complex and requires a great deal of cooperation with the manufacturer as Canada requires pre-approval of the facility making the formula, the actual formula itself, and the label for the formula. The reason for this careful regulation of infant formula is because of the high level of risk to the infants who consume this formula. Over the past several decades, there have been major food safety issues linked to formula, including adulterants such as melamine, which mimics milk protein in testing, inappropriate ingredients and false claims, over-dilution of formula leading to under-nutrition for the infant, and a pathogen called Coronobacter sakazakii. This bacterium can cause serious illness in infants and even death. But it isn’t just infant formula that can have this pathogen present. As recently as July 2024, a baby cereal was recalled in Canada because it tested positive for it. Here are some further articles on Infant Formula:
The Ontario government is welcoming an investment of almost $50 million by First Choice Beverage Inc., a Canadian producer of juice and dairy alternative products. This investment will boost the company’s manufacturing capacity and create 20 new, good-paying jobs in Mississauga, in addition to helping secure 100 existing jobs at the facility. Milk over-feed margins are ‘in the best spot they’ve been in years’ according to Ever.Ag analysts, while US corn and soybean production is set to grow. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there isn’t evidence to show that over-the-counter (OTC) antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water. In fact, some data suggest that antibacterial ingredients could do more harm than good over the long-term. The Phase II voluntary sodium reduction targets follow an initial set of targets issued in October 2021. The initial set of targets encouraged the food industry to reduce sodium levels in a wide variety of processed, packaged, and prepared foods. On September 16, 2024, the FSIS will be adding H5N1 influenza A monitoring in dairy cows at slaughter to its already robust national surveillance programs for pathogens and chemical contaminants. The Food and Drug Administration has completed a second round of peer-reviewed testing, finding that milk and other dairy products that undergo pasteurization are safe for human consumption because the H5N1 avian virus is killed. The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) is prepared and released by the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB). The report is released monthly, and provides annual forecasts for supply and use of U.S. and world wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, and cotton. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has determined that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). Safety Share The recalled drain covers do not conform to the entrapment protection standards, posing an entrapment hazard to swimmers and bathers. The recalled TonGass pool drain covers were sold exclusively online at www.amazon.com. The spacing between some crib slats is between 3 mm to 5.5 mm too wide creating a dangerous opening for the child, posing a risk of entrapment. Have an event you would like to share? Please send details to [email protected]. ChemEdge is a conference and trade show tailored for the chemical distribution channel. It provides training and education on issues important to chemical distributors, manufacturers, warehouses and service support companies. Canadian Institute (CI) is pleased to announce that the 2nd Advanced Summit on Food Law and Regulation Canada will be returning to Mississauga, ON on September 25 – 26, 2024 Brett Greenlee, the Key Accounts and Sales Manager at Trace Analytics, will lead a discussion covering all the basics of compressed air testing.Advocacy
The Government of Canada is seeking Canadians’ views about the operation of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). CUSMA entered into force on July 1, 2020, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in force since January 1, 1994. CUSMA continues to safeguard Canada’s preferential access to the United States and Mexico and drive the integration of a North American market representing 506 million consumers and a combined GDP of $42 trillion.Canadian Federal News
This will apply as August 14, 2024, and until further notice.
To help clarify this, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has updated its definition of infant foods in its food category guidance for importers to reduce the number of importers who have checked the infant food box on their licences in error.
Infant food is defined as:
liquid and powdered human milk fortifiers as well as infant formulas (dairy-based and non-dairy based) offered as liquids (ready to serve, concentrated) or powders that can be blended with water and/or milk before consumption – regardless of whether the products are available at retail or under medical supervision.
As an importer, be sure to only check the box for infant food if you are importing any of the products listed above. Other baby foods are categorized according to whether they are made from fruit, vegetables, meat, or grains. But whether you import infant formula or processed baby foods, you must work with your suppliers to be sure they test the baby foods you import for pathogenic bacteria, including C. sakazakii before they ship it to Canada.
Fighting Cronobacter will go far beyond infant formula | Food Safety NewsCanadian Provincial News
US News
International News
Other Relevant Information
EVENTS
Comments are closed