Safe Food for Canadians Act

To improve Canada’s food safety system and better manage risks facing Canadians, the Government of Canada proposed the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) which received Royal Assent in November 2012. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) began enforcing certain regulations of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) on January 15, 2019. Depending on the commodity, type of activity, and size of the business further regulations will be enforced in 2020 and 2021.

Businesses importing or preparing food for export, or interprovincial trade, will need to comply with the requirements of the act. This includes businesses that are currently non-federally registered, but conduct interprovincial or international trade.

SFCA requires a focus on prevention to ensure a food that is imported, exported or shipped from one province to another, is manufactured, stored, packaged and labelled in a way that does not present a risk of contamination.

Requirements for the food industry

1. Licensing: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will issue a licence, valid for two years. A licensing fee will also apply. As well, licences may be renewed every two years.
2. Food Safety Requirements: During the manufacturing, storing, packaging and labelling of a food product, businesses will have to meet basic food safety requirements for:
   
   • products and processes
   • sanitation, pest control, sanitizers and chemical agents
   • hygiene and competencies
   • design, construction and maintenance
   • receiving, storage and transportation
   • investigation, notification, complaint and recall procedures
3. Preventive Control Plan (PCP): Businesses will need to develop and maintain a PCP that is consistent with a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) approach. This includes identifying:
   
   • all hazards
   • critical control points and related control measures
   • critical limits
   • monitoring procedures
   • corrective action procedures
   • verification procedures
   • record-keeping procedures
   
   Exception to Preventive Control Plan requirements- Please see Division 6 Section 86 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations for preventive control plan requirements and exceptions.
4. Traceability: Businesses will have to keep traceability records for three years for all products. They will need to be able to track food forward to the immediate consumer and backwards to the immediate supplier (“one step forward, one step backward”). 

For additional information

• Timelines: When you need a food license for your business (CFIA)

 For more information, email the Food Safety and Inspection Branch or call 204-795-8418 in Winnipeg.