The Government of Canada has made amendments to the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990, aimed at streamlining the requirements for federally registered meat establishments and those seeking federal registration.
As part of the Government of Canada's Red Tape Reduction initiative, the amendments eliminate the mandatory pre-registration of construction materials, packaging materials and non-food chemicals used in federally registered meat establishments. Therefore, the CFIA will no longer be pre-approving these materials. However, the CFIA will continue to oversee the regulatory requirements related to the safety of construction materials, packaging materials and non-food chemical agents.
Operators of federally registered meat establishments remain responsible for using materials and chemical agents that are safe, effective and comply with all applicable acts and regulations related to food safety. Approved products used to appear on the Reference Listing of Accepted Construction Materials, Packaging and Non-Food Chemical Products. Since pre-registration is no longer required, this list will no longer be updated.
The amendments also provide for greater flexibility in the type of activities that can be carried out within federally registered meat establishments by allowing carcasses of some game animals such as wild cervids (deer, elk, moose), to be cut and boned inside a federally registered meat establishment for private use by the owner of the carcass.
Those regulatory amendments do not affect food safety. They were published in Canada Gazette, Part II on July 2, 2014. For more information, visit www.inspection.gc.ca .
