Amendments to Safe Food for Canadians Rules

Summary#

These final rules, Regulations Amending the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations: SOR/2022-144, change many labelling, packaging and inspection details in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. They took effect on June 21, 2022 and update definitions, container-size rules, labelling requirements and some exemptions (including for certain restaurant deliveries).

What it does#

Key changes in plain language:

• Updates wording and definitions used in the rules, and adds references to two guidance documents the regulator will publish:
  • Descriptive Words, Expressions and Identification Names Document
  • Standard Container Sizes Document
• Allows some food-handling activities done by a restaurant or other similar enterprise to be exempt when the food is being sent or delivered to consumers.
• Sets and clarifies container-size requirements for prepackaged foods, with specific exceptions (for example catch-weight foods and some retail-packaged items).
  • Small field-packed berries packed in a container of 1.14 L or less get a label exception.
• Tightens rules on how prepackaged foods must show net quantity and where that declaration must appear. In most cases the net quantity must be shown in metric units.
• Prohibits the sale of a prepackaged food after the expiration date required on its label.
• Adds or clarifies labelling rules for specific foods, including:
  • dairy, eggs, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, processed fruit or vegetable products, honey, maple products and edible meat products;
  • when packages can show “Cooked” or “Fully Cooked,” and required warnings for uncooked meat like “Must Be Cooked” (these must be close to the common name).
• New labelling details for processed fruit/vegetable products (e.g., statements about slack fill or drained weights, and how foods in syrup or juice must be named).
• Sets minimum character sizes for some inspection/establishment numbers and mandatory type sizes for some dairy labelling:
  • inspection number characters at least 1.6 mm in height (for a specific inspection legend);
  • certain dairy label information in bold at least 16 mm in height.
• Defines a “test market food” and allows applications for temporary exemptions to sell such products or to address shortages.
• Clarifies inspection-related procedures and references to guidance materials (for ante-mortem/post-mortem work and extra inspection stations). For example, animals must be presented for ante-mortem inspection within 24 hours before slaughter.
• Adds technical limits and definitions for products such as salted fish (salt 12%, moisture not more than 65%) and food safety thresholds (pH 4.6, water activity 0.85 or 0.90 in specific cases).
• Some obsolete schedules and sections were removed or renumbered. A temporary allowance treats certain inspection legends as acceptable until December 13, 2022.
• Many more targeted edits adjust wording, exceptions, and cross-references across the regulations.

Who's affected#

• Food businesses that pack, process, label, grade, import or export food, including small and large processors.
• Restaurants and similar enterprises that prepare food to be delivered to consumers. (Certain activities by these businesses are explicitly treated as exceptions.)
• Retailers that sell prepackaged foods and products packaged from bulk.
• Producers and packagers of specific categories: dairy, eggs, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, processed fruit or vegetable products, honey, maple products, and edible meat products.
• Inspection and certification bodies, and licence holders that operate establishments identified by inspection legends.
• Consumers, who will see different label information and may be protected from buying expired prepackaged foods.

If anything is unclear from the regulations about who exactly is covered in a specific case, that will depend on the detailed wording in each rule or the guidance documents referenced.

Why it matters#

• Businesses will likely need to update package labels and, in some cases, package sizes to meet the new rules. That can mean extra cost and time for reprinting labels or changing packaging formats.
• The rules aim to give consumers clearer and more consistent information on labels (net quantity, storage instructions, whether meat is cooked or must be cooked, etc.). That improves safety and helps shoppers compare products.
• The prohibition on selling prepackaged food after its required expiration date strengthens consumer protection.
• The new “test market food” route lets businesses try new products in Canada under temporary exemptions, which could speed up product launches.
• Some small practical reliefs (for restaurants delivering food, field-packed berries, and other narrow exceptions) may reduce regulatory burden for certain sellers.

If you want to check how a specific product or business activity is affected, you may need to look at the full text of the amendments or the referenced guidance documents.