Food inspection guidance: sample collection

Find operational guidance for planned, as required and official food samples which are submitted to the lab for analysis. This may include samples required for national sampling plans, compliance verification, complaints and investigations, surveys and surveillance.

Common inspection guidance

The following guidance is common to all sample collection inspection tasks as well as preventive control inspection and commodity inspection tasks

• Standard inspection process
• Biosecurity for inspection activities
• Calibration procedures for common equipment used by the CFIA Inspectorate
• Electronic notes
• Sanitation and/or decontamination of mobile devices for routine operations
• Use of digital recording (camera, video, audio) devices during inspections

Sample collection inspection

Food sample collection guidance

The following guidance is common to all food and environmental sample collection inspection tasks

• Operational guideline: Food sample collection
• Operational procedure: Planned food sample collection
• Operational procedure: As required food sample collection
• Operational procedure: Official food sample collection

Commodity specific sample collection

Fish and seafood

• Developing a marine bio-toxin monitoring control plan
• Implementation of Memorandum of Understanding with samplers for the delivery of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program
• Monitoring for marine bio-toxins in Geoduck in British Columbia