Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon.
Thank you to the members of the committee for the opportunity to speak to you today on a rather important topic.
My name is Kathleen Donohue. I am the vice-president of the international affairs branch at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, or CFIA.
My remarks today will focus on the treatment of imported foods versus those produced in Canada.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is a science-based regulatory agency whose mandate is the safeguarding of plants, animals and food, which enhances the health and well-being of Canadian peoples, the environment and our economy. All food sold in Canada, whether domestically prepared or imported, must meet the food safety and nutritional quality standards and labelling requirements of the safe food for Canadians regulations and the food and drugs regulations.
With regard to the CFIA role, the agency conducts risk-based activities to ensure the safety and compliance of food, both domestic and imported. During inspection, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency verifies that food complies with Canada's food safety requirements. Regardless of the origin of the food product, the CFIA takes action when a product does not meet Canadian regulations, and, in the case of an imported product, works with foreign governments to address any food safety risk as required.
The CFIA verifies that safe food for Canadians licence-holders meet federal food requirements. This includes sampling and testing products, commodity inspections and the verification of preventative control plans. The CFIA can issue border lookouts and undertake point-of-entry inspections to prevent non-compliant food from entering Canada, including through orders for its removal from Canada, the destruction of the product or the suspension or cancellation of a licence. Other non-compliance actions may include corrective action requests, seizures and detention, and even prosecution.
The CFIA may enter into arrangements with international trading partners that outline specific conditions for imports, including conditions that require the foreign government to issue certificates for specific commodities.
The CFIA conducts foreign audits of food inspection systems as well as risk-based audits of foreign establishments to ensure that products exported by these countries and establishments meet Canadian import requirements.
For high-risk food products such as meat and shellfish, a foreign country's inspection system must be pre-approved by the CFIA before products from that country can be exported to Canada. These assessments are intended to ensure that products exported to Canada comply with Canadian laws and regulations.
In summary, the CFIA requires imported food products to meet the same level of protection as those produced in Canada. It has several mechanisms to ensure that imported products meet Canada's food safety requirements. In addition, the CFIA may take appropriate action when those products do not meet these requirements.
Thank you.
I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.