OTTAWA, May 1, 2013: The Government of Canada has eliminated the mandatory pre-market registration of labels for certain meat and processed products. These changes do not impact food safety. The changes are aimed at reducing red tape and the administrative burden on industry, and are effective immediately.
By removing these pre-market registration activities, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is further focussing its efforts on its primary mandate of food safety.
Eliminating the pre-market registration of labels responds to recommendations made under the Government of Canada's Red Tape Reduction initiative.
The meat and processed products industry is no longer required to register these labels. This initiative creates a level playing field since pre-market registration is not required for other sectors of the food industry.
The CFIA has amended Sections 110 of the Meat Inspection Regulations and Section 25(1) and 44 of the Processed Products Regulations.
There are no changes to labelling acts and regulations related to food safety and consumer protection. Industry remains responsible for ensuring that their labels are compliant with current laws and regulations. There are many resources available to companies to accomplish this task, including the regulations, information on the CFIA website and guidance documents such as the Meat Manual of Procedures, as well as independent service providers.
The CFIA will continue to verify that labels meet Canadian regulatory requirements. Labelling rules and requirements are not changing. When the CFIA becomes aware of issues of non-compliance, it will continue to follow up and determine the appropriate course of action.
These regulatory changes will be published in Canada Gazette, Part II on May 8, 2013.
