A full copy of the report can be found at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/acts-and-regulations/regulatory-initiatives/sfca/proposed-sfcr/what-we-heard-report/eng/1511558812408/1511558812767#next10
Extensive consultations
Since 2013, the CFIA has been consulting extensively to help shape the proposed regulations. The CFIA has participated in over 300 external stakeholder events and reached thousands of individuals through face-to-face sessions, webinars, and two major food safety forums. Discussion documents were released in 2013, 2014, and 2015 and included initial drafts of regulatory text. The 2015 consultation specifically targeted micro and small businesses to better understand their unique needs and to explore options for reducing costs that would be imposed by the proposed regulations. Most recently, the public was invited to provide feedback on the proposed regulations. Over the course of the 90-day consultation period, the CFIA hosted a number of events across various channels to help inform stakeholders about the proposed regulations.
Overall, stakeholders are supportive of the proposed direction, which is seen as being consistent with global approaches to food safety and a boost to the competitiveness of Canadian businesses A full summary of the consultation can be found at this link: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/acts-and-regulations/regulatory-initiatives/sfca/proposed-sfcr/what-we-heard-report/eng/1511558812408/1511558812767#next10
The consultation was an opportunity for all Canadians to have their say on new modern food regulations. This proposal aimed to strengthen Canada’s international reputation as a leader in food safety by establishing consistent, prevention-focused requirements for all foods that are imported or prepared for export or interprovincial trade. The proposed Regulations consolidated 14 sets of existing commodity-based regulations into a single set of outcome-based requirements.
Additional background information can be found on the CFIA‘s Safe Food page. This report is a summary of the feedback received from stakeholders during the consultation period. All comments received were reviewed and considered by the CFIA to help inform the development of final regulations. While submissions included a wide range of specific comments, this report summarizes feedback into five common themes – technical, small businesses, organic products, implementation, and trade and competitiveness.