The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) now has the power to issue fines to businesses that fall short of Canada's meat-safety requirements.
A new regulatory amendment expands Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) to Canada's Meat Inspection Act and the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990. The regulations come into effect immediately.
"AMPs are an additional tool that will support the CFIA in delivering its mandate for food safety," said Dr. Martine Dubuc, chief food safety officer for Canada and vice president, Science Branch, CFIA. "AMPs do not replace existing inspection and enforcement tools, but instead offer additional flexibility in addressing meat-related violations."
The new regulations enable CFIA inspectors to issue an AMP for non-compliance with 84 provisions of the Meat Inspection Act (MIA) and the Meat Inspection Regulations (MIR). These provisions include items related to food safety (control programs such as HACCP) and non-food safety (labeling and consumer protection).
CFIA said the agency will be working with the Canadian meat industry to gradually transition to the new regulations.
