Evidence of meeting #36 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was safety.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Madam Chair, I believe that Ms. Yeates has more information to provide in response to a question I asked her a little earlier. Would you please allow her to give me this additional information?
12:50 p.m.
Deputy Minister of Health
Thank you, Madam Chair, for giving me the opportunity to respond and to provide more information.
At Health Canada, we have two policies in this area on which we have given the committee our deadlines and achievements. I've updated you on the one, and I'd like to have a chance to give you the information on the other as well.
I spoke about the implementation of the listeria policy, and we've talked a bit about that here. But in addition, the independent investigator suggested in her report that we also come up with a mechanism for giving priority either to food additives or other interventions that might have public health implications. So rather than simply considering them in the same lineup or queue as other food additives for review, the investigator suggested we have a mechanism for putting them in a fast track for approval if they have these broader implications.
I think my colleague, when she was here, also spoke about this timeframe. It's in fact the case that we've put in place this fast-track mechanism now. So we are now in the position of pulling things out and putting them in that fast-track process when they have these broader public health implications. In fact, we have used that process to approve some of the interventions I mentioned.
In addition, I think my colleague spoke about the fact that we wanted to put out a guidance document to industry so that they would know how to qualify for this faster-track process, so there would be a clear set of guidance to industry about how to identify their intervention as something that might qualify for the fast track. That's the guidance document that we said we would have out. We are on track to do that within the next month, in accordance with the timeframe mentioned before.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Thank you so much.
You had further comments? Go ahead, but quickly.
12:50 p.m.
Director, Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health
Yes, just very quickly, we have already used that to fast-track some things. For example, one of the things that we have fast-tracked is a new process that uses bacteriophage to treat meat. These bacteriophages can inactivate listeria on the surface of the meat; it's actually a processing aid. There are no residues left, so it can be treated as a processing aid.
Just last week we approved a new process for the use of ultra high pressure on meats, which will make it easier for industry to use. That was another application of our fast-track process.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
I want to thank the witnesses for joining us today, and the committee members for their very insightful questions.
We will dismiss the witnesses.
Thank you, Dr. Plummer, for joining us as well.
The meeting is adjourned.