The Ontario Food Safety System
Food Safety in Ontario: Backgrounder

PROGRESS TO DATE:

• Establishing an Office of the Chief Veterinarian of Ontario (CVO). Dr. Deborah Stark will be the new CVO and will take the lead in the event of an animal health or related food safety emergency. The duties of the CVO will also include maintaining links with the Chief Veterinarian of Canada, the Chief Medical Officer of Health in Ontario, Emergency Management Ontario, other ministries and other provinces. The office will support existing animal health programs, assess the need for a separate Animal Health Act and develop a comprehensive strategy for the prevention and early detection of serious animal diseases, especially those that can affect people. Effective May 2, 2005.
• Establishing a food safety division within the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The division brings together policy, program and operation areas of food safety. Previously, these areas were spread out across the ministry. The duties include assessing and managing risks associated with the agri-food production system to reduce negative effects on public health; developing and delivering field to fork food safety programs; delivering inspection, industry education and training, compliance and enforcement; maintaining strong ties with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Effective May 2, 2005.
• Proclaiming the Food Safety and Quality Act and introducing a new, stronger meat regulation. This addressed the first recommendation in Justice Haines' report, and several others, including licensing and regulating freestanding (non federally-registered) meat processors. The first group of meat plants, including those already licensed by the province, will need to comply with the new regulation by June 1, 2005, and all others by October, 2006.
• Holding a series of information/consultation meetings across the province in February and March, 2005 regarding the new meat inspection regulation, with more than 200 industry stakeholders participating.
• Providing up to $25 million in transitional funds over three years to assist meat processors in meeting the new requirements.
• Introducing a new, practical food safety program for small to medium-sized food processors called HACCP Advantage that focuses on preventing food hazard problems before they occur. Two operations - T&R Sargent Farms Limited of Milton and The Butcher Shoppe of Toronto - are now certified under the program. More are in process.
  
• Providing $4 million to the Ontario Cattlemen's Association to help maintain the province's deadstock collection system and avoid potential environmental and health hazards.
• Finalizing a federal-Ontario emergency response plan against foreign animal disease that will better safeguard the health of the province's livestock and citizens.
• Developing a comprehensive code of practice, including daily monitoring and audits for livestock auction markets.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

• Ongoing work to make the changes to a regulation under the Dead Animal Disposal Act, which would permit deadstock receiving plants to compost dead animals and processing materials from meat plants. This would provide Ontario farmers and meat plant operators an additional safe, environmentally responsible option for disposing of these wastes.
• Following up on recommendations in the On-Farm Food Safety Strategy for Ontario, which was developed by the industry and Ontario government. The strategy is in line with the national program, and addresses issues of program integration and co-ordination, administration and infrastructure, recognition, program evaluation and enhancement, and traceability.
  • The joint government-industry Ontario Traceability Task Force is developing a business model for a premises identification registry for Ontario. This information will be a cornerstone for a system that will eventually be able to trace food products from the farm to retail.
• Signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with federal and provincial government officials to enhance public safety through better co-ordination of effective and efficient risk mitigation programs respecting foodborne health hazards and illness outbreaks in Ontario.

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