Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 9, 2024
As of September 23, 2024, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be making the following service change at the National Centre for Permissions: Charging service fees for processing Ministerial Exemption applications. Applications for Ministerial Exemptions for fresh fruit and vegetables will be charged the service fee for the consideration of an application at the time of submission regardless if the application is denied or if an exemption is granted. The fee will continue to be charged based on the number of loads as per the CFIA Fees Notice. Grain Farmers of Ontario is accepting applications for the 2025 Grains Innovation Fund. This fund provides eligible companies and organizations with up to 60 per cent of the cost of a project, capped at $50,000. The fund supports projects from various sectors including food and feed manufacturing, grain handling, bioproduct development, marketing, and retail. As proposed in May 2024, Health Canada removes brominated vegetable oil (BVO) from the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Accepted Uses. This follows a safety assessment of BVO by Health Canada. Although the assessment did not identify an immediate health concern, it didn’t support the continued use of BVO as a food additive. At that time, BVO was permitted for use as a density-adjusting agent at a maximum level of 15 ppm in beverages containing citrus or spruce oils. The removal came into force August 30, 2024. Please be advised that the CFIA updated Net quantity verification section in the Net quantity on food labels page of the Industry Labelling Tool. Revisions clarify the Average System of Net Quantity Determination. 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.
The Ontario government is investing up to $6 million in the Ontario Craft Cider Marketing Fund over the next six years to help provincial craft cideries market their products to more consumers and stimulate growth across the sector. Alberta’s food processing sector is the second-largest manufacturing industry in the province and the flour milling industry plays an important role within the sector, generating millions in annual economic impact and creating thousands of jobs. As Canada’s population continues to increase, demand for high-quality wheat flour products is expected to rise. With Alberta farmers growing about one-third of Canada’s wheat crops, the province is well-positioned to help meet this demand. Upcoming Changes to COR® 2020 Equivalency for ISO 45001:2018 Certified Firms The U.S. Food and Drug Administration made available its annual Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022), summarizing findings from FDA testing of human and animal foods for 757 different pesticides and selected industrial compounds from October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022. Over the last several months, I, along with my colleagues, have been visiting food facilities and meeting with members of the food industry to learn more about the work they are doing to implement the Food Traceability Final Rule. This rule is a key component of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and, when fully implemented, will greatly enhance public health by facilitating faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education and various partner organizations launched the new school year with a virtual pep rally emphasizing the critical role of food safety and nutrition in school meals. The event showcased the USDA’s dedication to enhancing the nutritional value of school meals and their safety, ensuring that children receive healthy and safely prepared meals. USDA is strengthening substantiation requirements for animal-raising claims on meat and dairy labels and promises to crack down on false or misleading negative antibiotic claims after finding antibiotic residues in approximately one in five cattle marketed as “raised without antibiotics.” The California Legislature has banned more food ingredients in the name of food safety. This time, six food dyes are being banned from California’s public schools. Passed unanimously by the California Senate and Assembly, the California Food Safety Act only awaits the governor’s signature to become law. The bill prohibits public schools from serving food and beverages containing synthetic colorings, which California lawmakers believe are linked to neurobehavioral issues experienced by some children. Poor growing conditions in Brazil threaten coffee supplies. So, is another price hike on the horizon for this already-pricey commodity? Scotland’s food agency has again warned consumers to be vigilant after finding more counterfeit vodka. Operations at a company in Lithuania have been suspended after food agency inspectors were denied entry to the premises during an inspection. The State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) reported that in August when inspectors went fishing producer Almantika UAB, company officials would not let inspectors access the site. Safety Share When your children are out playing — whether in a team sport like hockey or for unstructured fun like tobogganing — keep them safe by taking the right precautions. Have an event you would like to share? Please send details to [email protected]. Join a free webinar to address issues around hybrid workplace risk management and workplace culture. 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 The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold a hybrid in-person and virtual public meeting on September 24, 2024, and September 26, 2024, to provide an update on the FSIS Genomics and Cronobacter spp. in Powdered Infant Formula charges. Concurrent subcommittee meetings will be held on September 25, 2024, that will be open to the public to attend virtually. Attendance to all meetings is free but pre-registration by Wednesday, September 18, 2024, is requested. Brett Greenlee, the Key Accounts and Sales Manager at Trace Analytics, will lead a discussion covering all the basics of compressed air testing. Food Safety Magazine will host a webinar examining the “new” climate-related risks to food safety and exploring the critical responses required to resulting sourcing/supply challenges.Advocacy
Canadian Federal News
Canadian Provincial News
We would like to inform our stakeholders about an important upcoming change concerning the Certificate of Recognition (COR®) program in Ontario. COR® is an occupational health and safety accreditation program that verifies a fully implemented Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) meets national standards. The objectives of COR® are to provide industry employers with effective tools to develop, implement, assess, and promote continual improvement of their OHSMS to prevent or mitigate incidents and injuries as well as their associated human and financial costs.US News
International News
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and North Lanarkshire Council initially found 40 bottles of counterfeit vodka at a shop in Coatbridge. The discovery was made after a customer reported that a product they had purchased smelled of nail varnish remover.Other Relevant Information
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