The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has enacted regulatory amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations (HAR) and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), aimed at reducing red tape and enhancing economic resilience in the agri-food sector.

These changes took effect immediately upon registration. CFIA enforcement protocols remain unchanged. Additionally, to support industry adaptation, CFIA has updated the Industry Labeling Tool and will revise additional guidance documents and the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS).

Key Changes for the Fresh Produce Industry

Affecting fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV) producers, the amendments to SFCR make the following key changes:

• Labeling and grading flexibility: Overly prescriptive labeling and mandatory grading requirements for FFV destined for manufacturing, processing, or preserving have been removed. FFV grades now play no role in food safety or consumer protection.
• Exemptions introduced: Consumer prepackaged FFV are exempt from net quantity declarations in specific packaging scenarios. FFV wrapped in transparent protective materials are now considered "unpackaged" and exempt from mandatory labeling.
• Label format adjustments: Minimum type height for mandatory labeling is now 1.6 millimeters (mm). Size designation statements are optional.
• Measurement updates: Net quantity declarations may now use weight, volume, or count for select FFV, including fresh sweet corn.
• Grade oversight shift: Responsibility for most FFV grades (excluding apples, onions, and potatoes) has transferred from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC), which will maintain the new “Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grade Requirements” document.
• Compendium revisions: The Canadian Grade Compendium: Volume 2 will retain only grades for apples, onions, and potatoes. Volume 9 and U.S. import grade standards have been updated to reflect new cucumber and potato requirements and remove outdated exemptions.

Key Changes for the Egg Industry

Additionally, certain amendments made under HAR have food safety implications for the poultry/egg industry, and specifically, hatcheries, including the following key changes:

• Salmonella testing for U.S. imports: Import conditions under the Import Reference Document (IRD) now require Salmonella Enteritidis testing for hatching eggs imported from the U.S. to align with Canadian requirements.
• Traceability code flexibility: HAR traceability provisions require licensed hatcheries and supply flocks to display their government-issued premises identification (PID) number as the traceability code for their products. The amendments strike the requirement for hatcheries to mark packages of eggs and chicks leaving their facilities with their PID number, allowing them to use their own generated identifier code instead of or alongside the PID number.

Other updates to HAR allow CFIA to make changes to the IRD without seeking official regulatory amendments, and modify import conditions for veal in the IRD to increase flexibility for veal producers.