Questions and Answers – Meat Inspection and Compliance Activities

In addition to normal daily inspection, how does the CFIA verify that federally registered slaughter establishments are meeting food safety requirements?

The Compliance Verification System (CVS) is a tool that CFIA inspection staff members use to verify that industry is continually complying with Canada’s federal food safety regulations and policies.

CFIA meat inspection staff work in federally-registered slaughter plants, processing establishments, and storage facilities. Depending on the type of facility being inspected and the type of product being processed, different verification tasks must be performed daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.

For example inspectors must regularly check a plant’s sanitation and maintenance records, employee hygiene, and lab results for pathogens such as E. coli.

While performing these tasks, if an inspector identifies a deviation from the establishment's Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, the nature of the issue identified will dictate the course of corrective action. Food safety issues are dealt with immediately. Other deviations to the applicable regulatory requirements or HACCP system are unacceptable and must be addressed by the company within a specific timeframe.

In addition to CVS tasks which are performed regularly, the CFIA conducts periodic quality management audits (at least quarterly) of inspection activities to verify that the right inspection activities are being performed at the right frequency and in an effective manner.

How does the CFIA deal with food safety violations?

The CFIA strictly enforces federal legislation, including the Food and Drugs Act and Meat Inspection Act and their Regulations. The CFIA takes immediate action whenever food safety is threatened.

Enforcement responses to non-compliances can range from a warning letter to suspension of operations to prosecution. Decisions to proceed with prosecution are based on a range of factors such as harm, history and intent.

Why aren't more staff at Establishment 38 trained in the CVS?

Establishment 38 has the appropriate number of CVS-trained staff for a slaughter and processing facility.

To say that only inspectors who are trained in CVS are "fully" trained to inspect is inaccurate and untrue.

The CVS is only one of the tools the CFIA uses to verify industry is complying with Canada's federal food safety regulations and policies.

The majority of work done by CFIA inspectors at Establishment 38 are non-CVS activities such as ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection to assess the appropriateness of the animal to enter the human food supply (e.g. to determine if the animal was infected by certain diseases by pathology assessment of the carcass).

Therefore, most inspectors at Establishment 38 do not require CVS training. They focus on these non-CVS post mortem activities during the slaughter and cutting phase.

Non-CVS inspectors are fully trained in the activities they are responsible for performing.

Meat slaughter and meat processing facilities have different requirements for how many inspection staff are required to be CVS trained. In certain establishments, such as stand alone meat processing facilities, all inspectors are required to be CVS trained.

CVS tasks are additional audit-type tasks, performed daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly and are additional to the day-to-day ongoing inspection activities happening at a plant.