Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 20, 2023
We submitted a query through the Ask CFIA portal requesting guidance or any information on using “detox” and “adaptogen” claims on food labels. We are seeing an interesting mix of claims on food labels that need policy decisions for food, natural health products, and supplemented food including terms such as: Detox/detoxify/detoxifying; Adaptagens/Adaptogens; Calming Focus/Clarifying to cite just a few. We didn’t get any useful information from the Ask CFIA query. We know that it will be helpful if CFIA and/or Health Canada could publish policies for these types of claims. We were provided some information on general principles to follow regarding health claims which we are already well aware of. Keep your expectations low while using the Ask CFIA feature. To obtain an electronic copy of the guidance document or for questions related to the guidance document, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with the subject line: Guidance document on supplemented foods regulations. Please be advised that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has updated PI-07 Technical Heat Treatment Guidelines and Operating Conditions Manual. Revisions have been made to include 2 new generic heat treatment schedules: Option D-1 (similar to Option D but with fan reversal) and Option J for treatment of hardwoods at 60 degrees Celsius for 60 minutes. Clarifications have also been added to the wording for some schedules as well as in the descriptions of the figures in the appendices. Canada is experiencing a shortage of nitroglycerin 0.4 MG/ACT sprays due to supply issues with the raw materials used to make the sprays as well as an increase in demand. This notice is to advise you that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is introducing new hold and test conditions to Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licences for the import of fresh enoki mushrooms from the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China. The new requirement comes into effect on March 15, 2023 and will be in place until further notice. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has completed its 2022 national survey for potato wart and confirms that potato wart was not detected in the soil samples tested from the fields where the samples were collected. The Canadian livestock traceability system is an industry-government partnership with a goal of sustainably meeting the diverse needs of the Canadian agriculture and food industries to protect animal health and food safety, and enhance industry competitiveness and market opportunities. The overall objective of the proposed regulatory amendments is to enhance this traceability program through increasing its scope and national consistency so that the impact of a disease, food safety or natural disaster on agriculture industry stakeholders is limited and reduced, and the amount of resources required by both industry and government in order to conduct response activities and support market access is reduced. Updating the requirements for animal traceability will also increase agility and efficiency throughout the system. The Competition Bureau is pleased to present its submission in response to the Government of Canada’s ongoing consultation on the future of competition policy in Canada. The submission includes over 50 recommendations to help modernize and strengthen Canada’s Competition Act. Health Canada is proposing new targeted provisions and regulatory amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations and Medical Devices Regulations. These changes will continue to advance our modernization agenda and help to reduce regulatory irritants and roadblocks to innovation. We are seeking feedback on both the proposed regulations and on multiple guidance documents related to the proposal by April 26, 2023. Comments on this regulatory proposal should be submitted to the addresses provided below. It is expected that the proposed Regulations will be published in Part I of the Canada Gazette for a 70-day public comment period, in the summer of 2023. We may also engage in bilateral discussions with stakeholders as part of this consultation process. The final Regulations would then be published in Canada Gazette Part II in the Fall of 2024. The Department is considering amendments that would address issues related to radioactive PCBs and to the import of PCB waste. This resource includes information on all Ministerial Condition (MC) notices published under the authority of CEPA. The MC notices of CEPA may be applied to a substance or living organism when the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Health suspect that a new substance may meet the criteria for toxic under CEPA, control measures are imposed to minimize any risk to the environment or human health. As committed during the live webinar, please find below links to the related materials: -PDF copy of webinar presentation -Pre-recorded webinar Environment and Climate Change Canada has outlined additional proposed risk management options for furfuryl alcohol and tetrahydrofuran under consideration to address risks outlined in the Additional Risk Characterization Document in Support of the Draft Screening Assessment for Furan Compounds Group. In particular, the Government of Canada is considering measures to reduce exposure of communities living in the vicinity of facilities in sectors of concern, that release furfuryl alcohol or tetrahydrofuran to air. These could include Pollution Prevention (P2) plans, voluntary actions by industry via mechanisms such as Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), Environmental Performance Agreements (EPAs), or codes of practice, or regulatory actions under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA). Industry and other interested stakeholders are invited to submit comments on the content of this risk management approach or other information that would help to inform decision-making (such as outlined in section 3.3). Please submit additional information and comments prior to April 26, 2023. The Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is responsible for pesticide regulation in Canada. The public registry is where you can learn more about all pest control products registered for use in Canada. Here are this past weeks postings: -Open consultation: Mefentrifluconazole (PMRL2023-19) -Open consultation: Prothioconazole (PMRL2023-20)
WorkSafeBC is reminding employers about a new guideline aimed at ensuring personal protective equipment (PPE) fits properly for all workers, regardless of their gender. The guideline, which came into effect in November 2022, is intended to address the issue of ill-fitting PPE, which can compromise worker safety. Second strategy looks to continue work in reducing fatalities and serious injuries in the workplace In 2019, WorkSafe Saskatchewan, a partnership between the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, launched the first three-year Fatalities and Serious Injuries Strategy in an effort to help eliminate workplace fatalities and serious injuries. The Ontario government is proposing amendments to the Construction Projects Regulation which would require personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing be properly fitted to women and workers with diverse body types. In addition, this legislation would require all jobsites to have at least one women’s-only washroom. The Ontario government is proposing updates to employment laws that would respond to more workers being remote and a changing economy. Under the proposed changes, employees who work solely from home would be eligible for the same enhanced notice as “in-office” and other employees in mass termination situations. This would ensure that remote employees receive the same eight week minimum notice of termination or pay-in-lieu, preventing companies from taking advantage of them. The thaw period for zone 1 for 2023 begins on 20 March 2023 and ends on 19 May 2023. For the next several weeks, staff from the Department of Environment and Local Government and the Department of Justice and Public Safety’s New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization will be closely watching the melting of ice and snow around watercourses, particularly the Saint John River Basin. They will also get support from partners such as NB Power, watershed groups, and federal and provincial governments, as well as agencies in the United States. WASHINGTON, March 17, 2023 – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is extending the comment period on a proposal to strengthen animal disease traceability regulations. The extension will give the public an additional 30 days to prepare and submit comments. This bill, commencing January 1, 2025, would prohibit a person or entity from manufacturing, selling, delivering, distributing, holding, or offering for sale, in commerce a food product that contains any specified substance, including, among others, brominated vegetable oil and red dye 3. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 2021 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis, which shows that environmental releases of TRI chemicals from facilities covered by the program remained below pre-pandemic levels and releases in 2021 are 10% lower than 2012 releases, even with an 8% increase from 2020 to 2021. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will release additional data the agency received related to the proposed risk management rule for chrysotile asbestos tomorrow for public comment. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department of Transportation (DOT) is proposing to amend regulations for the annual registration fees States collect from motor carriers, motor private carriers of property, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan and Agreement for the 2024 registration year and subsequent registration years. The fees for the 2024 registration year would be reduced below the fees for 2023 by approximately 9 percent overall, with varying reductions between $4 and $3,453 per entity, depending on the applicable fee bracket. the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India submitted its revised regulations pertaining to Genetically Modified Foods to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) that it was proposing amendments to its Standards and Specifications for Foods Act, which will revise and establish the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in agricultural products and veterinary drugs. The European Commission formally adopted Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council regarding maximum residue levels for clothianidin and thiamethoxam in or on certain products as notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO) under notification G/TBT/N/EU/908. Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH), Health Promotion Board (HPB), notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of the amendments to its Draft Food and Sale of Food Regulation 2023 (G/TBT/N/SGP/69). The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has released its Regulatory Strategy for Flame Retardants, identifying aromatic brominated flame retardants as candidates for an EU-wide restriction. You can submit your comments here until 30 April 2023. Once finalised, our scientific advice will help inform the European Commission and EU Member States consider risk management action. The report was jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE); the World Food Programme (WFP); the World Health Organization (WHO); and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Safety Share A new video reminds workers and employers about five required rules of grain bin safety. Lithium-ion batteries power a vast range of products and equipment, from laptops and smartphones to micro-mobility devices, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. As the use and presence of lithium-ion batteries continues to grow, so does the potential risk for first responders who are called upon to mitigate associated fire incidents and hazards. To help ensure firefighters’ safety when handling lithium-ion batteries in a variety of situations and scenarios, the theme for this year’s Safety Stand Down campaign, June 18-24, 2023, is “Lithium-Ion Batteries: Are You Ready?” Have an event you would like to share? Please send details to [email protected]. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is hosting a webinar to discuss climate change and its impacts on people in the workplace. 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. Now in its 36th year, GlobalChem remains the chemical industry’s premier policy and regulatory conference. This annual gathering of industry professionals offers a valuable opportunity to not only review recent developments in global chemicals management but to also meet and reconnect with your industry peers and key government representatives. The New York Society of Cosmetics Chemists will hold its Suppliers’ Day on May 2-3, 2023 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Take this opportunity to mark in your calendars next years Bakery Showcase, May 14, 15 2023 in Vancouver BC. Ekotox Centers together with partners and representatives of Cefic, Eurometaux, EPMF are all kindly willing to participate on the REACH Conference Bratislava 2023. The workshop will be an opportunity to bring stakeholders together and develop a common understanding of what new approach methodologies (NAMs), can achieve in the short and long term. Over two days delegates will come to learn from dozens industry leaders and technical experts about the exciting opportunities within Canada’s downstream sector. ChemEdge 2023 is bringing supply chain professionals all along the chemical distribution industry together to share best practices and business solutions. 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.Advocacy
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