Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and the Chief Food Safety Officer Dr. Brian Evans discuss the Safe Food for Canadians Act

Photo Courtesy AAFC

Existing traceability requirements could be expanded as part of the federal government's proposed food safety legislation.

The Safe Food for Canadians Act aims to make food inspection programs more effective and efficient.

"We've been, with industry, working on as much traceability as we can from the farmgate on," explains Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "This completes the cycle...what we need to do now is connect all the dots in the database, so that in the case of a recall, or something untoward happening, we have the ability to track that product."

Proposed amendments to the Health of Animals Act will strengthen the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's regulatory authority for implementing tracking systems. It will also provide the groundwork for an expanded national livestock traceability system.

Ritz says producers should not be concerned about bearing the complete cost. He says farmers will have a voice in the development of new traceability initiatives.

"We've been consulting all along. We've spent over $100 million to make sure that farmers themselves don't just end up with the bill," he says. "We have a tremendous opportunity here on the export side in food safety conscious markets like Japan for example, to increase our exports with this type of a traceability system in play."