Chief Food Safety Officer

The new role of Chief Food Safety Officer (CFSO) brings to the CFIA a more holistic approach to achieving the Agency’s food safety objectives. With a view to ensuring integration and excellence across the CFIA’s three business lines, the CFSO will reach out to a broader domestic and international stakeholder community to define an integrated strategy that clearly reflects the interdependence of public health, food safety, animals, and plants.

The CFSO will have three strategic priorities:

1. Driving the development and delivery of a horizontal management agenda for the food production continuum
   On the domestic front, the CFSO will focus on bringing a more comprehensive perspective to food safety. By employing a broad lens inclusive of all components of food production—from seeds and feed, to slaughter and processing—the CFSO will seek to identify where along the food production continuum investments and interventions should be made so that consumers are provided with the highest levels of protection possible while cost effectiveness is achieved.
2. Assessing evolving international standards, global trends and best practices shaping food safety approaches
   The CFSO will facilitate more international intelligence gathering and sharing to better understand food safety trends, identify emerging risks and incorporate best practices for informed decision making. This perspective will allow the Agency to better orient Canada’s food safety system within today’s global food production and distribution environment.
3. Stewarding the "one health" convergence of human, animal and ecosystem health
   In recognition of the fact that the health of humans, animals and ecosystems are intimately linked, the CFSO will, as an advocate for "one health," forge more collaboration between veterinarians, physicians, and other scientific-health related disciplines. The ultimate goal of this holistic perspective will be to ensure that Government efforts to protect public safety, the environment and animals are coordinated, complementary and synergistic.

Dr. Brian Evans is the Chief Food Safety Officer and Chief Veterinary Officer for Canada.