AAFC & CFIA Traceability: 2005 - 2011

A. Report May 2005 ; extracted from CATTLE SLAUGHTER CAPACITY IN CANADA Interim Report of the Standing May 2005
B. October 2009 Product Labelling 7.7.1.1

A. Report May 2005 ; extracted from CATTLE SLAUGHTER CAPACITY IN CANADA Interim Report of the Standing May 2005 www.parl.gc.ca/38/1/parlbus/commbus/...e/.../repintmay05-e.pdf Recommendation 7: The Committee recommends that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency develop a program similar to the Food Safety Enhancement Program (FSEP) to help develop traceability systems in meat processing plants. Such a program should be funded to allow the meat industry to have such systems in place by 2010.

3. Traceability (2005) Many foresee that traceability, the ability to track a food product from the farm of origin to the plate, will become something that will be required more and more in markets around the world. It is very important that Canada support any initiative to explore traceability from the first identification of animals through to the abattoir and onward into the market chain, so that if any problems arise it is possible to track the source of the food product.

Canada has already set up an animal identification system that puts our country many steps ahead of our trade competitors, including the U.S. CFIA officials indicated that the next objective is to register each animal’s date of birth in the data bank, as well as movements between farms. In Quebec, the provincial government has already the legislative framework in place to gather this type of information.

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Through program requirements or regulations, the CFIA is creating, expectations for industry in terms of traceability on an establishment or on a product basis. Generally, the industry is required to be able to trace forward one step and trace back one step. In other words, it must be able to identify where the product is coming from and where it is going to. If an issue is identified with respect to food safety, the Agency wants to be able to follow that product throughout its life cycle. Through Can-Trace, an industry-led initiative, Canada is also trying to develop voluntary minimum requirements for national whole-chain tracking and tracing standards. Atlantic Beef Products Inc. recently obtained funds from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and AAFC in order to implement a full traceability system for its products. In addition to food safety advantages, the technology that this plant wishes to implement would be able to virtually re-create a carcass and the cuts of each particular animal, and give the actual value per animal. Atlantic Beef Products has entered into an agreement with the federal government whereby it will test the technology and the equipment. Based on this traceability enhancement pilot project in Prince Edward Island, AAFC may decide that there is merit in expanding the system across Canada. A full traceability system would have many similarities with HACCP programs, notably in terms of technical capabilities and record-keeping procedures. For many years, the CFIA had a voluntary program, the Food Safety Enhancement Program (FSEP), to help packing plants develop HACCP programs. The Committee believes the Canadian packing industry must stay ahead of its competitors and explore the possibility of being able to fully trace products. Therefore, Recommendation 7: The Committee recommends that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency develop a program similar to the Food Safety Enhancement Program (FSEP) to help develop traceability systems in meat processing plants. Such a program should be funded to allow the meat industry to have such systems in place by 2010.

extracted from CATTLE SLAUGHTER CAPACITY IN CANADA Interim Report of the Standing May 2005
www.parl.gc.ca/38/1/parlbus/commbus/...e/.../repintmay05-e.pdf

B. October 2009 Product Labelling 7.7.1.1
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/meavia/man/ch7/7-7e.shtml#a7-7

7.7.1 Method of production claims - evaluation procedures
7.7.1.1 Animal production claims

a) "Organic"
As of June 30, 2009, the Organic Products Regulations require mandatory certification to the revised National Organic Standard for agricultural products represented as organic in international and inter-provincial trade, or that bear the federal organic agricultural product legend (or federal logo). The Label and Recipe Registration Unit will consult the Organic Office lists to determine if the applicant is on the list of certified producers prior to approving any organic label.

b) Other claims
An applicant may choose to apply for a production raising claim without being identified as Organic. A single claim or multiple claims may be applied for. Other animal raising claims include, but are not limited to, "Grain Fed - No Animal By-Products", "No Animal Meal, No animal Fat", "Raised Without Hormones", and "Raised Without Antibiotics". In the case of the "Raised Without Antibiotics" claim for meat and poultry products, this will be acceptable provided the animals were not administered any medication that could fall in the definition of an antibiotic or have the same purpose, for example, coccidiostats or monensin.

Approved substances include vaccines registered by the Veterinary Biologics Section or direct fed viable microbial products registered by the Feed Section of the CFIA. Vitamins and minerals at nutritional levels and other nutritive and non-medicating substances commonly found in feed would also be permitted under such claims. A "Grain Fed - No Animal By-Product" claim would be accepted provided the company has procedures in place to ensure no animal by-products (such as animal fat, animal meat meal, etc.) are in the feed. Vitamins must be completely free of gelatin originating from animals.

c) Species-specific claims
If a claim is made on a label, as an effort to gain market share, that the product is originating from a certain species or sub species, the protocol and proof of origin and segregation of the animals used to create the product must be provided along with the label registration. Examples of this would include but are not limited to Angus Beef, Wagyu (Kobe Beef), Peking Duck, Muscovy Duck, North American Bison, wild boar.