Temporary Ministerial Exemption process to allow inter-provincial trade of meat and poultry products from establishments that are not federally licenced
2020-05-21
CFIA has put in place a temporary Ministerial Exemption (ME) process that will permit interprovincial movement of meat and poultry products from establishments that are not federally licensed if such trade becomes necessary to alleviate meat shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To enable inter-provincial movement of provincially-inspected meat and poultry products, an ME could be issued to exempt food businesses from certain requirements of the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) which prohibits the sending or conveying from one province to another of a food commodity that does not meet the requirements of the regulations.
The Food and Drugs Act (FDA) and Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) as well as other relevant federal, provincial and territorial laws related to meat products would continue to apply, despite a Ministerial Exemption being granted. Food labels must be truthful and not misleading and the information should continue to be provided in both official languages.
To initiate the ME process, food businesses experiencing a shortage are asked to reach out to their Provincial or Territorial Authority to inform them of the food shortage, determine if the situation requires the issuance of an ME by the CFIA, and obtain all information about the application process.
Provincial or Territorial Jurisdiction | Contact | Title | |
---|---|---|---|
British Columbia | Gavin Last | Executive Director, Food Safety and Inspection | bcmeatinspection@gov.bc.ca |
Alberta | Natisha Stashko | Executive Director, Business Development and Programs Branch | Natisha.stashko@gov.ab.ca |
Saskatchewan | Chris Smith | Food Safety Specialist, Livestock Branch | chris.smith@gov.sk.ca |
Manitoba | Ketie Sandhu | Director of Food Safety & Inspection | Ketie.sandhu@gov.mb.ca |
Ontario | Vanessa Taylor | Food Safety and Traceability Advisor | Vanessa.taylor@ontario.ca |
Ontario | Pierre Adrien | For French inquires | pierre.adrien@ontario.ca |
Quebec | Sébastien Cloutier | Coordonnateur des relations FPT en salubrité des aliments | PEM@mapaq.gouv.qc.ca |
New Brunswick | Roxane Plaisance | Project Executive | Roxane.Plaisance@gnb.ca |
Nova Scotia | Marion MacAulay | A/Executive Director, Agriculture and Food Operations | Marion.MacAulay@novascotia.ca |
Prince Edward Island | Dwight Thompson | Legislative & Program Specialist | dkthompson@gov.pe.ca |
Newfoundland and Labrador | Leona Raymond | Food Safety Technician | leonaraymond@gov.nl.ca |
Northwest Territories | Joel Holder | Director, Economic Diversification Industry, Tourism and Investment | Joel_Holder@gov.nt.ca |
Nunavut | Zoya Martin | Director, Fisheries and Sealing | zmartin@gov.nu.ca |
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