Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Frequently Asked Questions

About the CFIA | Access to Information and Privacy | Animal Health | Biotechnology | Chemical Residues | Food Safety | Forestry | Plant Health

About the CFIA

CFIA delivers 14 inspection programs related to foods, plants and animals across Canada. Our role is to enforce the food safety and nutritional quality standards established by Health Canada and, for animal health and plant protection, to set standards and carry out enforcement and inspection.

The scope of our mandate is vast and complex. Activities range from the inspection of federally-registered meat processing facilities to border inspections for foreign pests and diseases, to the enforcement of practices related to fraudulent labelling. We also verify the humane transportation of animals, conduct food investigations and recalls, perform laboratory testing and environmental assessments of seeds, plants, feeds and fertilizers. We regulate the import, export and domestic movement of horticulture, forestry and plant products where they are regulated. We also work with exotic pest introductions and the control or eradication of quarantine pests. In a nutshell, we're Canada's federal food safety, animal health and plant protection enforcement agency.

For more information on the CFIA, see our Corporate brochure, Protection You Can Count On http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/publications/brochuree.shtml or the CFIA Annual Report http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/ar/artoce.shtml

Exemptions - Exemptions protect certain types of information that could cause harm if released. For example, some information on national security, law enforcement or trade secrets falls into this category.

Exclusions - The Act does not apply to information that is already available publicly, such as web sites, publications or material in libraries and museums.

The Privacy Act (http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/P-21/index.html) gives Canadian citizens and people present in Canada the right to have access to information that is held about them by the federal government. The Act also protects against unauthorized disclosure of personal information. In addition, it strictly controls how the government will collect, use, store, disclose and dispose of any personal information.

In general, the Access to Information Act allows for 30 calendar days (21 or 22 working days) between receipt of an ATIP request and the release of documents. An extension may be required for consultation with third parties and other departments.

Some examples of information requests that may require the submission of an ATIP request include:

• a consumer would like a copy of the CFIA investigation following a complaint about a food product
• a student would like some research material on rabies testing in Canada
• a journalist would like information about federally-registered meat establishments

To make a formal Access to Information request or a Privacy Request, you can use the following forms:

• Access to Information Request Form - http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct/350-57_e.asp
  
  
• Personal Information Request Form - http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/tbsf-fsct/350-58_e.asp

Please note: All requests made under the Access to Information Act must be accompanied by a cheque or money order in the amount of $5.00 payable to Receiver General for Canada.

Once your form has been completed, please mail with the applicable fees to the following address:

Access to Information and Privacy Services
Corporate Administration Division
CFIA, Corporate Services Branch
Room 211 East - 59 Camelot Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9

Should you have any questions about Access to Information and Privacy, please contact the ATIP Coordinator.

Animal Health

You can also contact one of three regional CFIA Import Service Centres toll-free at:

Contact your nearest CFIA district office http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/offbure.shtml for more information

Health Canada is responsible for assessing the human health safety of products derived through biotechnology including foods, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and pest control products. In the case of novel foods, each safety assessment considers the process used to develop the novel food, its characteristics compared to those of its traditional counterpart, its nutritional quality, the potential presence of any toxicants or anti-nutrients, and the potential allergenicity of any proteins introduced into the food.

The surveillance program highlights can be viewed at:  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/microchem/programe.shtml.

1. heavy metals:  Section B.15.001 - Table 1
2. agricultural chemicals: Section B.15.002 - Table 2
3. veterinary drugs: Section B.15.003 - Table 3

• by contacting an area recall coordinator
  - http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/recarapp/recarappe.shtml#contact#contact
• through the Internet at cfiamaster@inspection.gc.ca
• by telephone at 1-800-442-2342

If you suspect that your health has been compromised because of food, contact your family physician or local health authority who will follow-up with the appropriate treatment. You can report any concerns about restaurant food to your local inspection authority. If they determine that food appears to be the likely cause of illness, they will contact the CFIA to initiate an investigation.

If you have questions about specific foods or food items that do not appear in the brochure, you can contact one of the CFIA's Import Service Centres using the information found at:   http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/imp/importe.shtml

You may also wish to have a look at our publication Be Aware You Must Declare, found at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/publications/declare.shtml

The CFIA’s three Import Service Centres located in eastern, central and western Canada handle telephone inquiries regarding import requirements for all commodities regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. You can reach them toll-free as follows:

For more information on importing food, you can use the CFIA’s Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) http://airs-sari.inspection.gc.ca/ AIRS is a tool which guides the user through a series of questions about the Harmonized System (HS) Codes, origin, destination, end use and miscellaneous qualifiers of the product they wish to import.

Before beginning a home-based food business, you should verify municipal and provincial licensing requirements. Health related requirements may also be regulated by your local health authority or board of health.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is also responsible for the enforcement of all of the above requirements at all trade levels.

Health Canada is responsible for the administration of health and safety standards and the development of food labelling policies related to health and nutrition under the Food and Drugs Act.

For more information on labelling, check out the CFIA’s Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising on the CFIA web site at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/guide/toce.shtml

There are specific requirements for wood packaging materials coming into Canada (http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/for/prod/nonmane.shtml) and going to other countries (http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/for/prod/lumberboise.shtml).

You can review import requirements for specific forestry products using the CFIA's Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) at: http://airs-sari.inspection.gc.ca/   By following the appropriate prompts, you will be able to determine current requirements based on the type of product and the size of shipment you intend to import.

Should you have additional questions after reviewing this web page, you can contact the Forestry Section directly using the information found at:  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/for/offbure.shtml

If you or your local horticulturist suspects that the pest may be exotic, contact your nearest CFIA district office (listed in most phone books in the Government of Canada blue pages) and ask for a plant health specialist. A list of CFIA offices can also be found on the CFIA website at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/directory/offbure.shtml

For more information about the CFIA’s Plant Health divisions, go to the following page on the CFIA web site http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/heaproe.shtml

You will find the more common plant import information and policy directives on our website at:   http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/internat/internate.shtml#2

You can review import requirements for specific plant products using the CFIA's Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) at: http://airs-sari.inspection.gc.ca/  By following the appropriate prompts, you will be able to determine current requirements based on the type of product and the size of shipment you intend to import.

Should you have additional questions after reviewing this web page, you can contact the Plant Import Unit directly using the information found at:  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/internat/offbure.shtml

This information is false. The rumour has been circulated via a widely-distributed email that warns home gardeners not to buy mulch made from trees destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The email indicates that the "termite-infested mulch" is being sold at cheap prices by gardening retailers across North America.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry put in place strict quarantines in October 2005 which forbid hurricane-impacted areas in Louisiana to transport mulch, wood, or any other kind of wood waste outside their area. The material is being put into landfills. Please see the following link for more information regarding Louisiana's restrictions - http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/divisions/AES/formosans.asp

The CFIA has determined that Formosan termites would not present a risk in Canada. Formosan termites are a tropical pest that would not survive in Canada if they were to enter the country. Secondly, the mulching process would likely exterminate a termite colony. Finally, U.S. mulch is subjected to an extensive treatment process to further mitigate the risk of pest spread.