Совет по мясной промышленности Канады выступил против ослабления федерального контроля за безопасностью продуктов

Meat council worries about food safety amendments The Canadian Meat Council said it supports interprovincial meat trade but wants one inspection system By Karen Briere 3 days ago 2 min read Glacier FarmMedia — The Canadian Meat Council is concerned proposed food safety regulatory changes could create a loophole that weakens the food safety framework. In a news release issued Aug. 26, the council said it supports reducing interprovincial trade barriers, but a four-year exemption for some provincially inspected meat products to move outside those provinces could undermine confidence in the federal inspection system and threaten international market access. As part of the country’s Food Security Strategy, Ottawa proposed giving small slaughter plants a time-limited, targeted exemption from the regulations to address regional capacity shortages. Why It Matters The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has put forward amendments to the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations that cover several sectors, including meat and fresh fruits and vegetables. The amendments are designed to cut red tape and improve interprovincial trade. Council chief executive officer Kyle Larkin said most meat processed in Canada already moves within the country. “We support efforts to expand that trade, but not by creating different inspection standards for products entering the same market,” he said. “The potential damage to consumer and international confidence in Canada’s food safety system far outweighs the limited benefit of this proposal.” Read Also Council looks for consistent food standard However, the meat council said the federal and provincial inspection systems serve different purposes and markets. The federally inspected plants have continuous, on-site inspection in order to export. “Canada needs one federal food safety standard that is applied consistently across the country,” Larkin said. “We should be raising standards and expanding access to the federal system, not creating exemptions that blur the line between federal and provincial inspection.” The council said about 95 per cent of meat processed in Canada is federally inspected and only about 0.5 per cent of the industry would benefit from the proposed changes. The CMC has submitted its comments to the CFIA as it consults on the proposed amendments.