The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as of March 16, is going online with the outcomes of its enforcement work on food safety.
Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on Mar. 16 announced the CFIA will issue reports on such activities, including information such as:
food imports that have been refused entry into Canada;
federally registered food establishments whose licenses have been suspended, cancelled or reinstated; and
notices of violations with warning and penalties, including identifying repeat offenders of animal transport regulations.
Currently, the CFIA said, it will post information on all notices of violations with warning and penalties and identify the company name of repeat offenders of animal-transport regulations.
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“There is a demonstrated public need for this type of disclosure, reinforced by the CFIA’s commitment to making more information public on its enforcement activities,” the agency said on its website. “This movement towards greater transparency is shared by other federal regulators in Canada and the U.S.
“Making this information public is a fair, balanced and measured approach to protecting the safety of Canada’s food supply and the resources upon which it depends. And, ultimately, it promotes public confidence in the federal government’s enforcement actions,” CFIA said.
“However, this is only the first phase,” the agency added. “The CFIA intends to eventually publish the names of all company violators, in a phased approach.”
