OTTAWA – Canada’s meat and egg processing industry welcomes the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Statement of Rights and Service, the creation of a Complaints and Appeals mechanism and the publication of Rights and Responsibilities guides for producers, animal transporters, processors, exporters, importers and consumers. These documents are integral components of a major announcement made earlier today by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz.
“Food safety is the number one priority of Canada’s meat, poultry and egg processors” stated Canadian Meat Council Executive Director Jim Laws, Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council President Robin Horel and Further Poultry Processors Association of Canada General Manager Robert DeValk. “Our member companies work in close collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure Canadian consumers enjoy safe and high quality processed meat and egg products”.
The documents released today help businesses better understand their own role and responsibilities as well as what service standards they should expect from the CFIA. ”We welcome CFIA’s commitment to transparency, accessible and timely information, fair treatment, responsiveness and continual improvement”. The Agency will implement also a transparent and accessible process to appeal regulatory decisions and to register complaints. In addition to clarifying CFIA expectations of industry, the guides identify the rights of companies during and following CFIA inspection activities.
“Canada’s meat and egg processors have accumulated decades of experience working cooperatively with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Our organizations believe that the collaborative framework formalized today by Minister Ritz and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will provide a strong foundation for future consultations on the development of a modernized food safety system” concluded the managers of the three organizations.
Canada’s meat and egg processing industry includes some 400 federally registered establishments, providing not only safe, high quality protein for Canadian consumers, but also adding jobs and making a significant contribution to local economic activity in both rural and urban Canada. With some 67,500 employees and annual sales exceeding $ 21.3 billion, the industry is the largest segment of Canada’s food processing sector.
For additional information, contact:
Jim Laws
Executive Director
Canadian Meat Council
613-729-3911, ext 24
Robin Horel
President
Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council
613-724-6605
Robert DeValk
General Manager
Further Poultry Processors
Association of Canada
613-738-1175
Source: Canadian Meat Council