The approach that has been adopted internationally in terms of food safety is to shift from a highly prescriptive set of requirements to one that really focuses on process control.
Historically the requirements would have said that at the end of product production, have this particular pH or composition, and instead we've moved upstream.
We've said, “Really look at what you're doing in your production, understand where hazards might come into your process, and put in place effective controls to ensure those hazards are mitigated before you reach an end product.“
The change from an end product prescriptive focus to a more system-based focus is exactly what the Safe Food for Canadians Act makes possible for us across all foods. That is what the regulatory framework on which we are consulting with Canadians and with stakeholders is intended to do. It is to provide businesses the flexibility to innovate.
While we've had some fantastic innovation in Canada, some of that innovation has been constrained by the limitations of the regulations. So we see this shift as not only benefiting manufacturers and producers by giving them the flexibility to design their systems according to what works best for them but also as giving them a very clear sense of accountability for the safety of the product. The reality is that while as a government we have a responsibility to oversee and verify that they are compliant, we are not producing the food; they are. When they take control of their entire system, they deliver a much better outcome.
You noted that within provincial systems there is equal excellence, and I would absolutely agree with you. This is in no way to suggest that product produced under a provincially licensed system is somehow inferior to that produced under a federally licensed system. The differences in the rule sets may simply impede the ability to move product as opposed to suggesting that product is somehow inferior.