Monitoring the Shellfish Industry

As a partner in the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulates many aspects of the bivalve shellfish industry. This includes processing facilities, product certification and storage.

The goal is to protect against contamination and to maintain quality.

The CFIA can temporarily shut down shellfish processors or remove their licence if it identifies unacceptable operating and sanitation conditions.

The CFIA also monitors shellfish growing areas for marine toxins. Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada also have responsibilities under the program.

The CFIA evaluates programs in other countries to see whether they measure up to Canadian controls and requirements for safe products, specifically for imported shellfish. You can view a list of countries from which Canada accepts exported raw or live shellfish.

You may be interested in a 2006 survey that found most Canadians underestimate the dangers of eating contaminated shellfish. Few of the people surveyed were concerned about eating bivalve shellfish they catch themselves or buy on docks or at roadside stands. And most knew little about red tide or serious illnesses like paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Fact sheets on fish and seafood safety gives you information on topics such as the potential for food poisoning, and substances like mercury and PCBs in fish.

You may also be interested in the following:

Seafood - One of the nine most common food allergens

Role of the CFIA in keeping fish and seafood safe

Quality Management Program for federally registered fish processing plants