Canada strengthening its ability to anticipate, detect and respond to food safety risks
April 7, 2015 – Scarborough, ON – Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Today, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport underlined the importance of World Health Day and its food safety theme for 2015 by announcing an investment of $30.7 million for the establishment of the Food Safety Information Network (FSIN).
The FSIN will help connect federal and provincial food safety laboratories and regulators across the country. This new network will help rapidly identify, mobilize and coordinate laboratory surge capacity and capabilities during complex food safety incidents and emergencies; allow near-real time sharing, organization and analysis of food safety information across the country to inform more preventive and timely risk management decisions; and improve Canada's ability to effectively anticipate and detect routine foodborne threats.
The FSIN is a collaborative initiative developed by the federal government with the provinces and territories. Federal partners include the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The FSIN will be implemented incrementally over five years, linking federal and provincial food safety establishments and accredited laboratories across the country.
Canadian consumers will benefit from the new Network through:
- Faster, more proactive food safety interventions;
- More preventive food safety programs and inspections to better protect consumers;
- Strengthened laboratory emergency response during food safety incidents and emergencies (which should speed-up recalls, for example); and
- Improved guidance on reducing food safety risks.
Minister Raitt was at CFIA's Greater Toronto Area Laboratory, accompanied by Roxanne James, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Orléans Royal Galipeau made the announcement at the CFIA's Ottawa Fallowfield Laboratory.
Michael Bolkenius
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Health
613-957-0200
Media Relations
Health Canada
613-957-2983
Media Relations
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
613-773-6600
