Results at a glance - Evaluation of the Food Safety Program

Introduction

What the evaluation found

Recommendations and responses

  1. Work with Health Portfolio partners to explore ways to better operationalize the current HRA process.
    Response: Health Canada's Director General (DG) of the Food Directorate will engage the Canada Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada, through the DG Committee on Food Safety, to review the current governance mechanisms for maintaining clear responsibilities related to HRAs.
  2. Increase coordination and collaboration between Health Canada and Health Portfolio partners at the planning stage to discuss issues such as research plans and the alignment of objectives and priorities across the Health Portfolio.
    Response: Health Canada will review existing Portfolio coordination of food safety issues and research to maximize collaboration, transparency, and timely decision making.
  3. Consider increasing outreach and education efforts to Canadians to help address various food safety knowledge and behaviour gaps.
    Response: Health Canada will review existing food safety risk communications to develop and implement a Food Safety Risk Communications Action Plan that is aligned with the Communications and Public Affairs Branch's overarching communications plan.
  4. Increase efforts to obtain Canadians' perspectives on the timeliness and usefulness of Health Canada information on food safety and the effectiveness of its engagement efforts.
    Response: Additional performance measures will be identified or developed to address Canadians' perceptions related to two short-term outcomes in the Food and Nutrition Program Logic Model.

About the evaluation

The evaluation assessed the key desired outcomes for FSP from April 2012 to March 2018. Methods used to collect data to address the evaluation questions included a review of the literature, program files and documents, and financial data, as well as key informant interviews with internal and external stakeholders, and two case studies. A health equity lens was also applied.
March 2019

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