Food > FSEP / HACCP > On-Farm Food Safety Recognition 

CANADIAN QUALITY MILK COMPLETES TECHNICAL REVIEW

Ottawa, December 22, 2003 - Warren Smandych, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) national coordinator of the On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program is pleased to announce the successful completion of the technical review of Dairy Farmers of Canada’s program, Canadian Quality Milk.

"Canadian dairy farmers have been producing safe and high quality milk for years," says Bruce Saunders, second vice-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada. "Dairy farmers are leaders in the promotion of practices that assure that the food at the farm is produced with safety in mind. Essentially, producers on the program say what they do, do what they say, and prove it."

This is the second project of the Canadian On-Farm Food Safety (COFFS) Program to complete the first step towards gaining official recognition. The objective of the technical review is to confirm the program is technically sound, meets regulatory requirements and adheres to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles.

"Dairy Farmers of Canada should be commended for their cooperation throughout the technical review process," says Smandych. "Further enhancements were gained through this review, such as modified procedures which will allow us to conduct quicker reviews in the future."

Canadian Quality Milk will now be implemented at farms and production facilities across Canada before undergoing the final stage of the recognition process.

Led by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the federal / provincial / territorial On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program directly supports the Food Safety and Food Quality component of the Agricultural Policy Framework. Government recognition of HACCP-based on-farm food safety programs may enhance Canada's domestic and international reputation as a leader in food safety, which could result in expanded markets for Canadian products. To date, 21 national producer organizations have expressed their intention to apply for recognition of their on-farm food safety programs.

Dairy Farmers of Canada represents Canada's 18,000 dairy producers. Dairy Farmers of Canada’s membership includes provincial milk marketing boards, dairy producers' associations, cooperatives, milk recording and breed-related organizations.

For more information, contact:

Martin Firth
Manager
Headquarters
Floor 1, Room 116
159 Cleopatra  Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
Telephone: (613) 221-7011
Facsimile: (613) 228-6116
mfirth@inspection.gc.ca