Developing a Custom Food Formula? Read This First
Are You Aware of What it Takes to Develop Safe Custom Food Products?
What is the Safe Food for Canadians Act?
It’s a piece of law that was enacted in 2012 to protect Canadian consumers. The Act provides regulations for custom food formulas and other edible products.
The goal of the Act is to:
- Make edibles that are sold in Canada as safe as possible
- Protect consumers by cracking down on food management practices deemed unsafe
- Enables companies endangering the public to face harsher punishments
- Makes it possible to control imports better
- Enhances how easily we can trace our food
- Standardizes the inspection standards for foods
Read more about the Act on the government’s site.
Does Canada have an FDA?
Canada has three core regulatory bodies that perform the same function as the FDA does in the United States.
The Department of Health Canada is responsible for setting the stands and regulations for custom food formulas and other edible products. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for enforcing the rules that the Department of Health implements.
The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada agency is responsible for new products entering the market.
Who is responsible for food safety in Canada?
Ultimately, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the enforcement arm of the Department of Health. As a business, you’d have to deal with inspections from the CFIA.
Read more about the importance of these regulations and inspections here.
How is food regulated in Canada?
If you’re researching the regulations for custom food formulas, you’ll need to deal with the three agencies.
Health Canada sets the standards that companies must meet. These include food safety standards and the nutritional quality of foods. The Food Directorate operates under the umbrella of Health Canada.
The directorate is responsible for investigating the benefits and risks associated with the different food products. It follows strict scientific guidelines in reviewing the benefits and risks. Using this research, it helps Health Canada to set the standards.
The CFIA will be responsible for enforcing the regulations. They’ll be the ones knocking on your door to conduct food safety inspections. They also regulate the advertising, labelling, and packaging of food products.
Let’s say that you’re manufacturing a food supplement, for example. This agency will come knocking on your door if you make bogus claims or use unsafe packaging.
To get your supplement approved, you’ll need to apply to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. They’re quite a helpful agency, so it’s a good idea to work with them from the development stage. They’ll help you ensure that your product meets regulatory standards.
Final Notes
All these agencies work together to ensure that the food provided to Canadians is safe. Their work entails regulating the production process and everything that impacts the food. The packaging must be secure and must adequately protect the food.
Companies may not make unproven claims about their products. If they say that the product contains a certain amount of magnesium, for example, independent testing must back that up. Companies that flout the regulations face stiff penalties.
The regulations may seem excessive, but they protect the company as well. By ensuring that the food produced is safe, the company safeguards itself from potential civil action.
