Introduction
The governments of Canada and British Columbia are committed to protect and improve food safety and food quality across the country. Specifically, this means supporting the development of integrated food safety, traceability and food quality systems from field to fork. Through the Agricultural Policy Framework, governments are working with farmers and the agri-food industry to build on existing and develop new safety measures to enable the tracing of food products back to the farm, improve food quality and share critical information.
The Food Safety and Quality (FSQ) objectives are to:
- protect human health by reducing exposure to hazards;
- increase consumer confidence in the safety and quality of food produced in Canada;
- enable industry to meet or exceed agri-food safety and quality standards; and
- provide value-added opportunities through the adoption of food safety and quality systems.
Activities include:
- participating in value-chain round tables as a new mechanism for co-ordination;
- developing systems to support food safety, food quality and traceability;
- developing policy approaches to certification and recognition; improving understanding of food quality and safety expectations in the marketplace;
- developing communication approaches to enhance consumer confidence in the quality and safety of food;
- facilitating collaboration of government, industry and academic partners for improved coordination of research activities, technology transfer and assessment of research implications of food issues;
- developing new scientific knowledge, innovative tools and technologies to enhance the safety and quality of agri-food produced and processed in Canada; and
- supporting an industry-led, integrated approach to development and implementation of food safety and quality systems along the agri-food chain through the Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program.
Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program: Systems Development
The Systems Development component of the Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program (CFSQP) is a partnership between Canadian governments and national agriculture and agri-food organizations. It is delivered across the country by the federal government and national producer organizations.
The program facilitates industry momentum in developing and implementing government-recognized food safety and food quality process-control systems throughout the entire food chain. It is the first component of the CFSQP, and consists of three elements:
- Food safety: reducing exposure to hazards using the definitions and principles of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP);
- Food quality: meeting or exceeding market specifications; and
- Traceability: encouraging the development of processes that can trace the history, location, and associated food safety and quality standards of food products from field to fork.
Who should apply for the program?
Eligible participants include:
- Canadian national, non-profit organizations involved directly or indirectly in producing, marketing, distributing, or preparing food; or
- Canadian regional, non-profit organization that are not represented by entities at the national level, and that can demonstrate their ability to deliver a national initiative.
What projects are eligible for funding?
To be eligible for funding, projects must support the development and implementation of national, credible, government-recognized systems in the three key areas of food safety, food quality and traceability systems.
Only systems that deal with food products for human consumption, as well as related inputs that would affect food safety or food quality, such as animal feed, are eligible for funding.
Note
- Systems for non-food products (including pet foods) are not eligible under this program.
- Aquaculture and seafood products are not eligible for funding.
To be eligible for funding, proposed new systems must be national in scope; integrate food safety, food quality and traceability elements – now or in future stages; and demonstrate how they will work in the existing agri-food system.
The CFSQP Systems Development Component shares the cost of developing national food safety, food quality, and traceability projects with industry. Projects that are eligible for funding will move through a four-phase process that concentrates on food safety, food quality, and traceability systems, or a combination of all three. The federal contribution for each phase will vary.
For more information
Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program
Application forms are available on line or by phone
(1-800-622-6232)
Contact:
Quality, traceability and off-farm food safety:
Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program
Sir John Carling Building
Room 415, 930 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C5
Tel: (613) 759-6721
Fax: (613) 759-6322
E-mail
On-farm food safety:
Canadian Federation of Agriculture
Suite #1101
75 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5E7
Tel: (613) 236-3633
Fax: (613) 236-5749
E-mail
Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program: On Farm Implementation
The On-Farm Implementation is the second component of the Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program. The program is delivered across the country by the federal government and national producer organizations. It is designed to help with the implementation of on-farm food safety systems based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) at the farm level.
The program offers two distinct services:
- workshops provide consistent information on implementing commodity-specific, on-farm food safety systems;
- on-farm support for producers. This is delivered in two forms:
- technical assistance (services of designated specialists providing advice on planning and implementing a food-safety system tailored to specific farming operations); and
- support in purchasing specialized equipment required to implement an on-farm food program.
The On-Farm Implementation Component will be delivered by national producer organizations (see Contacts below), in conjunction with their British Columbia affiliates. The organizations will apply for funding on behalf of all producers within their commodity. The On Farm Implementation Program is open to all producers in that commodity, regardless of whether or not they are members of the producer organization.
Before a national producer organization can apply for the On-Farm Implementation funding, it must have:
- completed development of the On-Farm Food Safety program; and
- completed the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Technical Review process and have received its letter of completion from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
What funding is available?
Under the program, assistance worth up to $1,050 is available to each producer. The total government contribution will be up to $300 per producer for workshops and $750 per producer for on-farm support.
For more information or to apply for this program:
Please contact the producer organizations relevant to the commodities you produce.
Contact:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
c/o Canadian Food Safety and Quality Division
4th floor, Room 415
Sir John Carling Building
930 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C5
Tel: (613) 759-7150
Fax: (613) 759-6322
Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program: Food Safety Initiative
The Food Safety Initiative is the third component of the Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program. It increases awareness, knowledge and support for the implementation of food safety management systems in eligible, non-federally registered food-processing plants. The goal is to increase the number of non-federally registered food processing plants moving towards and/or having Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) and/or ISO 22000 food safety systems in place.
The program is delivered in British Columbia by the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, the BC Centre for Disease Control, five regional health authorities and the Small Scale Food Processor Association. Activities will advance food safety awareness, knowledge development and implementation of food process control systems.
There are two distinct elements within the Food Safety Initiative Program: Outreach and Implementation.
Outreach
BC Centre for Disease Control and regional health authorities identified all non-federally registered food manufacturing activities in B.C., ensuring that they were aware of and able to participate in the Food Safety Initiative project. They also produced a high-quality introduction package that outlined the benefits of GMP and/or HACCP systems and comprehensive education course and training materials that could be tailored for different processing sectors.
Using these materials, regional health authorities deliver free, one-day workshops introducing smaller food processing companies to HACCP theory and hands-on monitoring procedures. Industry consultants will deliver these activities to dairy plants and abattoirs. Processors may then be eligible for a one-on-one, on-site consultation with a regional health authority Environmental Health Officer, who will help conduct a gap assessment of the plant and develop a work plan to complete a HACCP plan.
For more information, please contact:
BC Centre for Disease Control
Sion Shyng (Abattoirs & Dairy Plants Only)
Tel: (604) 660-0260
Fax: (604) 660-6628
E-mail
To register for a workshop, please contact the Regional Health Authority in your area:
Vancouver Coastal Health
Virginia Jorgensen/Barbara Peters
Tel: (604) 675-6912
Fax: (604) 736-8651
E-mail
Fraser Health
FSI Consultant Team
Tel: (604) 507-5478
Fax: (604) 507-5492
E-mail
Interior Health Authority
Jacqueline Bratt/Judi Ekkert
Tel: (250) 980-5080
Fax: (250) 980-5060
E-mail
Northern Health
Russell Seltenrich
Tel: (250) 638-2222
Fax: (250) 638-2256
E-mail
Vancouver Island Health Authority
Keir Cordner
Tel: (250) 334-5457
Fax: (250) 334-5466
E-mail
Implementation
The second stage of the Food Safety Initiative will provide funding to assist non-federally registered food processing plants implement Good Manufacturing Processes (GMPs) and become certified to HAACP and/or ISO 22000 food safety systems. The program offers financial support through the Small Scale Food Processor Association.
Eligible applicants are non-federally registered food processors. A food processor is defined as an individual or company who produces food/drink for human consumption processed for sale but does not include the restaurant or retail food service and fish/seafood processors. Applicants must be financially stable and demonstrate management commitment to GMPs, HACCP and/or ISO 22000.
Eligible Activities for the development and implementation of the GMPs, HACCP and/or ISO 22000 system, may include:
- Consultant fees for development and implementation of food safety programs, staff costs directly related to development and/or maintenance of the program (e.g. wages for HACCP coordinators).
- Performance of GAP analysis and risk management assessment
- Technical assistance to prepare for HACCP recognition audit
- GMP, HACCP or ISO 22000 audit and certification costs
- Related scientific testing
- Staff Training
Processors working on food safety initiative programs can apply to have eligible activities reimbursed up to $15,000 for Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP); and up to $20,000 for HACCP recognition, and potentially an extra $9,000 for up to three HACCP plans.
Processors accepted into the implementation element may choose to improve their GMPs or seek a HACCP certification (which includes GMPs plus at least one HACCP Plan).
Processors will undergo a GAP analysis by a food industry consultant and write a work plan of food safety activities. Financial assistance will take the form of a 90% reimbursement grant towards the cost of eligible activities. Eligible activities will be reimbursed up to $15,000 for GMPs, up to $20,000 for successful certification, and potentially an additional $3,000 per HACCP plan for up to a maximum of three additional HACCP plans per plant under the two levels of activity.
Contact:
Small Scale Food Processor Association
Manager (FSI Implementation Funding)
1-866-473-7372
Email
SSFPA Website
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Food Safety Initiative
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Food Safety and Quality Website
Food Safety and Quality Transition Program
Plant and animal health and food safety issues of the past few years have provided compelling reasons for industry to strengthen its ability to trace products throughout the chain.
The Transition Program is a partnership between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands. It does not accept applications for individual programs; instead, it funds strategic projects that range from developing a baseline of science-based, B.C.-specific information about selected on-farm pathogens, to facilitating a traceability system in British Columbia that will enable industry and government to track and trace food and non-food products throughout the entire food chain, from farm to fork.
For more information about projects included in the Transition Program, please visit their website.
Plant Health Monitoring and Tracking
The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands provides ongoing disease and pest diagnostic services and disease tracking information to crop-based industries. It also monitors for emerging and foreign diseases and pests, and undertakes research to support the development of management strategies to mitigate the impact of plant diseases and pests.
Animal Health Monitoring and Tracking
The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands provides ongoing monitoring of animal health to protect the British Columbia livestock industry from major disease outbreaks and reassure trading partners that B.C. animal products are disease-free.
Traceability
A provincial team from the Ministries of Environment, Health, and Agriculture and Lands is working towards an agricultural traceability framework for B.C. This team, which is led by staff from the Food Safety and Quality Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, is developing a process by which all agricultural products can be traced from their point of origin to the final processing destination or export. This includes working in conjunction with counterparts from neighbouring Alberta, and Saskatchewan, recognizing that relationships exist across and beyond provincial boarders.
This provincial team is also working on the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Traceability Task Team, which is developing an implementation plan for a National Agriculture and Food Traceability System. This national group works with industry to encourage acceptance of and collaboration in the development of a traceability system, through a senior committee comprised of industry representatives from all major livestock species groups, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and both federal and provincial governments.
This national panel provides BC with the opportunity to participate in the development of a system that is consistent with national traceability objectives and benefits B.C. producers.
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