March 19, 2013, Ottawa: Today, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz presented the Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) with the first ever Letter of Recognition under theOn-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program (OFFSRP).
"On behalf of the Harper Government I would like to congratulate the Chicken Farmers of Canada for the successful implementation of this food safety program," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "By working together to improve the management of food safety risks at the farm level, we are strengthening Canada’s food safety system."
The CFC is the first national organization to achieve this recognition. "This is a major milestone for Chicken Farmers of Canada and a source of great pride in being the first commodity to receive this recognition," said Dave Janzen, CFC Chair. "This achievement, and the program itself, demonstrates our commitment to meeting the expectations of consumers for safe, quality, Canadian chicken."
The OFFSRP promotes the production of safe, high-quality food at the farm level and encourages national industry organizations to develop food safety systems in line with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles as defined by the Codex Alimentarius.
To qualify for the recognition, national industry organizations must assess their food safety practices against the HACCP principles and submit their food safety program to the CFIA for technical review. Once the food safety program is implemented, audited and assessed, the CFIA grants the recognition. The CFIAconducts ongoing maintenance reviews of the national industry organization’s food safety program to ensure it continues to meet the requirements of the OFFSRP.
The On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program is a federal/provincial/territorial government initiative developed in collaboration with industry and funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada under Growing Forward.
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