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Processing - Food
The following is meant solely to help the reader understand the main features of primary regulations governing this activity, and not meant in any way to provide a legal interpretation.
Canadian Food Inspection System Implementation Group (CFISIG):
Food production is a complex system that involves regulation at all levels of government. The CFISG was created to divide responsibilities and eliminate redundancies in food production inspection and regulation.
Federal authorities establish and enforce: health and safety standards for import, export, and domestic consumption; quality standards for inter-provincial and international trade; and requirements for food safety to protect the public from product misrepresentation and fraud in food consumption, packaging, labelling, and advertising.
Provincial/Territorial authorities establish and enforce health and safety, and quality standards and related provisions for intra-provincial trade.
In some cases municipalities, who derive legislative authority and in some cases, funding from provincial ministries, enact and enforce bylaws that affect food inspection and in other cases are limited to enforcing standards that have been developed at the provincial level.
CFISIG System in BC:
Health Canada (HC)
1. Memorandum of Understanding Btwn Health Protection Branch (HPB) and the BC Ministry of Health (1982)
2. Agreement btwn Health Protection Branch and City of Vancouver to share inspection lists to avoid multiple inspection (informal)
3. Agreement btwn HPB and City of Vancouver on division of duty with City staying out of manufacturing plants and HPB avoiding retail/foodservices (informal)
4. HPB and City of Vancouver protocol on food tampering and food recall.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
1. AAFC inspectors at retail level enforce provincial regs wrt labelling, composition and advertising
2. AAFC inspectors enforce provincial regs on weighing beef carcasses for producer payment
3. Canada (AAFC)-BC (Min. Of Health) MoU on Coordination of Dairy Plant Inspection Programs (1995).
4. Under Meat inspection service agreement, AAFC provides meat inspection in provincial plants on a cost-recovery basis
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)
1. Canada-British Columbia Memorandum of Understanding on Coordination of Fish Inspection Programs (1991)
-aquaculture
-vehicles and unloading sites, vessels
-shellfish
-sportfish canneries
-commercial canneries
-food services, retail and provincially licensed processing facilities
-fish buying and vending facilities, sport fish processing facilities other than canneries and marine plant processing
Food Product Standards Act: http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/ministry/legsum/FPST.stm
BC Centre for Disease Control - Food Protection Services:
The Food Protection Services is a Division of the BC Centre for Disease Control, formerly of the Ministry of Health Planning. Visit the website for the correct program area for further information on licensing and regulation.
Program Areas:
- Fish Programs - http://www.bccdc.org/content.php?item=146
- Food Programs - http://www.bccdc.org/content.php?item=147
- Meat Programs - http://www.bccdc.org/content.php?item=144
- Milk Programs - http://www.bccdc.org/content.php?item=145
British Columbia Health Authorities:
Local Health Authorities administer the Food Premises Regulation in British Columbia. To this end, they licence, inspect, and respond to complaints regarding food facilities under their jurisdiction. Further, the local Health Authority administers the FOODSAFE education program in their region.
Food Safety Initiative (FSI):
The focus of the FSI is to work with the non-federally registered food processing industry to raise awareness of food safety issues and help producers meet food safety standards.
Outreach activities will be delivered by the Food Protection Services of the BC Centre for Disease Control in partnership with the regional Health Authorities, the food processing industry and the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands.
Primary Contacts:
Food Protection Services
BCCDC
655 12th Ave W
Vancouver, BC
V5Z 4R4
Email: fpinfo@bccdc.ca
Tel: 604-660-5357
Fax: 604-660-6628
British Columbia Health Authorities - http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/socsec/contacts.html
Secondary Contacts:
Food Safety and Quality Branch
BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
Abbotsford Agriculture Centre
1767 Angus Campbell Road
Abbotsford BC V3G 2M3
Contacts website: http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/fsq/branch/contacts.htm
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
4321 Still Creek Dr., Suite 400
Burnaby, British Columbia
V5C 6S7
Tel: 604-666-6513
Fax: 604-666-1261
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