Canadian Meat Council concerned over proposed changes to federal food safety regulations
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Ottawa, Ont. (Rural Roots Canada) – The Canadian Meat Council (CMC) is raising concerns over proposed changes to federal food safety regulations that would allow certain provincially inspected meat products to enter interprovincial trade.
The council says that while it supports efforts to reduce barriers to trade between provinces, a proposed four-year exemption could create a regulatory loophole, weaken Canada’s food safety framework, and put international market access at risk.
“Most meat processed in Canada already moves across provincial borders. We support efforts to expand that trade, but not by creating different inspection standards for products entering the same market,” said Kyle Larkin, president and CEO of the CMC. “The potential damage to consumer and international confidence in Canada’s food safety system far outweighs the limited benefit of this proposal.”
The council says federally licensed meat facilities operate under continuous, on-site inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and must meet federal requirements supporting Canada’s reputation as a trusted meat exporter.
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Canada needs one federal food safety standard that is applied consistently across the country,” said Larkin. “We should be raising standards and expanding access to the federal system—not creating exemptions that blur the line between federal and provincial inspection.”
About 95 percent of meat processed in Canada comes from federally licensed facilities, while the council estimates about 0.5 percent of the overall industry could benefit from the proposed changes.
“Our federally licensed members invest heavily every year to meet Canada’s rigorous food safety requirements and maintain access to markets around the world,” said Dr. Sylvain Fournaise, chair of the CMC. “Allowing products produced under different inspection standards into interprovincial trade risks undermining that investment and the reputation Canada has built as a trusted supplier of safe, high-quality meat.”
“This is a solvable problem,” added Fournaise. “Instead of lowering the bar, we should help more provincially inspected facilities achieve federal certification. That would expand interprovincial trade while protecting the integrity of Canada’s food safety system.”
The council says it has submitted its concerns through the CFIA’s public consultation process.
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