Food safety, surveillance focus of new CFIA funding

Food safety, surveillance focus of new CFIA funding

New trade agreements drive need to monitor imports, help with exports

Glacier FarmMedia – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency plans to spend $162.6 million over the next five years to improve services. Why it matters: CFIA plans to increase its surveillance and oversight programs so it can better respond when new food pathogens, invasive species or other diseases are identified. According to the federal government, the […] Read more

(File photo)

U.S. rolls back inspection rules for egg products

New rule to affect 83 U.S. facilities

Chicago | Reuters — The Trump administration said Wednesday it will stop requiring U.S. plants that produce egg products to have full-time government inspectors, in the first update of inspection methods in 50 years. Under a new rule that takes effect immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow companies such as Cargill and Sonstegard […] Read more

A customer shops at a pork meat hall at the Yuegezhuang wholesale market in Beijing on June 17, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang)

Food exporters to China asked to declare produce coronavirus-free

Declaration puts onus on exporters for product safety

Beijing | Reuters — China’s customs authority has asked food exporters to the country to sign a declaration their produce is not contaminated by the novel coronavirus, three people who received a letter said on Friday. The declaration, seen by Reuters, may be an effort by China to reduce the additional testing it has carried […] Read more

E.O.I Technologies founder Alex Sulkin presents at the Techstars accelerator competition.

Sensor technology could prevent foreign material contamination in processing plants

Contamination is detected from a distance away from the assembly line, avoiding extra cleaning and processes

A Calgary-based start-up is about to start trials on an innovation for food processing facilities it says can prevent foreign material contamination of food products. E.O.I Technologies is preparing to launch a pilot project with a major poultry processor in the southern United States that focuses on large-scale, remote monitoring and predictive analytics of conveyor […] Read more

Logistics prove to be a bigger challenge than food supply in terms of resilience, says a report.

New report identifies challenges of COVID-19

Supply isn’t a concern, but processing and moving food have proved to be a challenge

Glacier FarmMedia – The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute has identified short- and long-term issues affecting the food system’s resilience. Why it matters: By identifying key obstacles affecting food production and distribution systems, government and industry can draw up action plans to meet the challenges. In a report resulting from discussion with 40 stakeholders, the Ottawa-based […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Ontario offers cash for abattoir upgrades

Applications now being accepted through April

Ontario’s 123 provincially-licensed abattoirs can now start applying for a piece of $2 million in federal/provincial funding to step up food safety, biosecurity and animal welfare measures. The Ontario and federal governments on Wednesday announced applications for cost-share funding can be submitted between now and April 30, “as long as funding for the initiative is […] Read more

Mushroom stems are often trimmed and discarded.

Mushroom waste shown to provide extended food and drink shelf life

Canadian company is using a part of the mushroom that often is discarded, creating value for mushroom growers

A waste product from the mushroom industry is being put to use as a natural shelf-life extender for processed food products. New Brunswick-based food technology company Chinova Bioworks is using a dietary fibre and antioxidant extracted from white button mushrooms called chitosan to produce its trademarked product, Chiber. Why it matters: The stem of the […] Read more

EU flags in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. (Jorisvo/iStock/Getty Images)

EU-Canada trade deal clears hurdle in Dutch parliament

Amsterdam | Reuters — The European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada cleared a political hurdle on Tuesday, when a slim majority of lawmakers in the Dutch lower house voted to ratify the contested deal. Votes by members of the country’s governing coalition were enough to approve the deal, which was rejected by opposition parties […] Read more


Hogs on a stock trailer bound for a Toronto packing plant accept drinks from Toronto Pig Save members in 2013. (Screengrab of Toronto Pig Save video via YouTube)

Ontario draws new legal lines against on-farm trespass

Ontario has introduced a legislative package setting up new legal boundaries around livestock in that province, whether on farms or in transit. The Security From Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, introduced Monday by Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman, is expected to “address the unique risks and challenges associated with trespass onto a farm or into […] Read more

Livestock and poultry farmers have become increasingly concerned about the aggressiveness of animal livestock protesters and their willingness to come right onto farms.

Ontario introduces farm trespass act

The legislation aims to protect farmers from trespassers and damage they might cause

Updated Dec. 2 The Ontario government introduced a bill Dec. 2 aimed at discouraging people who would interfere with livestock production and transportation. The legislation, Security From Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2019, will increase fines for trespassers, protect farmers from civil liability from people injured while trespassing, and limit the interaction protesters are […] Read more