Health Canada recently initiated a food safety audit of inspection programs of the other federal departments dealing with food namely Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Specific programs being audited include those for imported foods, shellfish inspection and food container integrity. The first phase of the audit, which is in
process, will assess the suitability of these programs. A second phase of the audit, to be completed in the next fiscal year, will look at the application of these programs. Comprehensive standards for the inspection of domestic plants producing a variety of foods have also been developed.
With respect to provincial issues, the responsibility for the inspection of food which is produced and sold within a province is the responsibility of that province. The only food inspection activities that are conducted by the provinces for which the federal government is currently responsible are those activities conducted by the provinces on behalf of the federal government. Health Canada is presently considering how the food safety audit program could be extended to cover these areas. This is being dealt with in the context of the recent Canadian food inspection system initiative to more fully integrate the various food inspection systems within Canada at the federal and provincial level.