Food > Retail Food  

Retail Food

Food products which are imported or manufactured in Canada must comply with the food safety, fraud and labelling requirements of Canadian regulations. This includes foods that are manufactured, or packaged and labelled, by food retailers. Compliance with the regulations results in protection for Canadian consumers, and fair competition for industry.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for the inspection of food products at all trade levels. At the retail level of trade, the CFIA's Retail Food Program contributes to the effectiveness of the Agency's Safe Food and Consumer Protection mandates by administering the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act, Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, Canada Agricultural Products Act, and the Fish Inspection Act, as well as a number of provincial statutes. These regulations are designed to protect consumers from economic fraud and product misrepresentation, and assist them in making informed product choices, by establishing standards for the net quantity, quality, composition, substitution, labelling and advertising of all food offered for sale in Canada. Responsibility for food safety at retail is shared with provincial health units.

When violations are encountered in grocery stores, restaurants and other retail establishments, CFIA inspectors advise the retailer regarding the regulatory requirements and, when necessary, take appropriate enforcement action to ensure compliance. For example, compliance action may be taken in relation to:

• adulteration e.g. ground meats adulterated with foreign protein, sulfites or filler;

• meat cut substitution and fish species substitution etc.,

• composition violations such as excess fat in ground beef;

• misleading claims e.g. misleading nutrient content claims and nutrition information;

• foods which do not meet the requirements of the grade declared;

• short net quantity;

• the absence of mandatory labelling information e.g. "Packaged on" dates

• violations in mass media and in-store advertising e.g. prohibited health claims;

• deceptive packaging or display practices.

Retail Food Program officers also investigate consumer and trade complaints.

For more information on the Retail Food Program, please contact one of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency offices listed on the Single Access Food Labelling Service page.