Good Hope Colony Farms Fined for Violating the Food and Drugs Act

Winnipeg, MB, March 21, 2011: On October 4, 2010, Good Hope Colony Farms Ltd. entered a guilty plea in Manitoba Provincial Court to one count of contravening s.6(1)(c) of the Food and Drugs Act. As a result of the plea, the Honourable Judge Heinrichs imposed a $500 fine. Good Hope Colony Farms Ltd. violated the Food and Drugs Act for having frozen turkey carcasses in its possession for the purpose of sending or conveying these from one province to another for resale, and which were likely to be mistaken for food that did not comply with the prescribed standard under Part B, Division 1, section B.01.007 of the Food and Drug Regulations.

The charge arose from an incident when Good Hope Colony Farms Ltd. assisted another Manitoba Hutterite colony by sorting frozen turkey carcasses. The turkey carcasses were not fit for human consumption because they had been purchased as salvage after a highway accident in Alberta. Good Hope Colony Farms Ltd. helped to prepare the turkeys for shipment and they were sold and shipped to Ontario.

Section 6. (1) of the Food and Drugs Act states: "Where a standard for a food has been prescribed, no person shall . . . (c) have in possession for the purpose of sending or conveying from one province to another any article that is intended for sale and that is likely to be mistaken for that food unless the article complies with the prescribed standard."

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for enforcing a variety of federal legislation, including the Food and Drugs Act. This helps safeguard food, animals and plants, which enhances the health and well-being of Canada's people, environment and economy.

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