Dairy Products

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulates dairy products leaving federally inspected establishments or being imported into Canada to verify they are safe, wholesome, labelled to avoid misleading consumers and eligible to be traded interprovincially or internationally.

CFIA activities include:

• registration of manufacturing establishments;
• inspection and certification of imports, exports and product destined for interprovincial trade;
• residue testing;
• retail inspection including enforcing regulations at retail;
• policy and program development for food labelling and label verification; and
• verifying that food advertising complies with requirements

The key acts and regulations we enforce are:

• Canada Agricultural Products Act
  • Dairy Regulations
• Food and Drugs Act
  • Food and Drug Regulations

Information we provide for consumers includes:

• Common Causes of Foodborne Illness
• Food Safety Tips
  • Raw Milk
• Milk - One of the nine most common food allergens

Information we provide for the food industry includes:

• Dairy Establishment Inspection Manual
• Dairy Products Inspection Manual
• Food Safety Enhancement Program (HACCP)
• Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising
• Import, Export and Interprovincial Requirements
• Revised Cheese Compositional Standards
• Reference Listing of Accepted Construction Materials, Packaged Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products
• Guidelines for the Acceptable Use of "100% Canadian Milk" Claims on Dairy Products

Additional government and industry information can be found at:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Dairy
• Canadian Dairy Commission
• Dairy Farmers of Canada