TORONTO – On behalf of its members, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) welcomes the new Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) as published today by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Designed to protect consumers from unsafe food and to keep pace with the rapid changes occurring in the food industry, these regulations are important to maintain Canada's reputation as a world leader in food safety and persevere the overall trust in Canada's food supply chain.
The Safe Food for Canadians Act was drafted in 2012 and today, after years of industry consultation and review, the regulations were finalized.
"These regulations are the biggest change to the food industry in the past 25 years and they will have a positive and lasting impact," said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada. "Our members strongly support the objectives of the new regulations and it is our common goal to ensure Canadian consumers have access to safe, high-quality food at affordable prices."
The new regulations cover all food and govern safety; labelling, packaging and advertising; import, export and interprovincial trade; the establishment of standards; and licensing of persons performing certain activities. They will reduce the unnecessary administrative burden on businesses by merging 14 sets of regulations into one. It will help reduce the time it takes to remove unsafe food from the marketplace by requiring businesses to improve their ability to trace their food back to their supplier and forward to whom they sold their products.
The SFCR is a considerable change for the entire food supply chain including retailers. RCC has a long history of working with the federal government on key policy files and as an association representing the retail sector. "We have been extensively involved with CFIA throughout the SFCR consultation process and are proud of the work we have been able to accomplish together," said Brisebois. "We look forward to continuing our work with CFIA to ensure minimal disruptions from any unintended consequences to retailers and ultimately consumers during the implementation process."
The SFCR will take effect in January 2019 and the RCC will be actively working with its Members in anticipation of the changes.
About Retail Council of Canada:
Retail is Canada's largest employer with 2.1 million Canadians working in our industry. The sector annually generates over $76 billion in wages and employee benefits. Core retail sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline) were $369 billion in 2017. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members represent more than two thirds of retail sales in the country. RCC is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association that represents small, medium and large retail businesses in every community across the country. As the Voice of Retail™ in Canada, we proudly represent more than 45,000 storefronts in all retail formats, including department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent retailers and online merchants. RetailCouncil.org
Source: Retail Council of Canada