Retail Council of Canada supports the announcement of CFIA's Safe Food for Canadians Action Plan

TORONTO, May 22, 2013 /CNW/ - Retail Council of Canada (RCC) welcomes Minister Ritz's May 17th announcement which unveiled the Safe Food for Canadians Action Plan.

"Food safety is the number one priority for RCC's grocery members and they expend considerable effort and resources ensuring that the products they sell to their customers are safe," said David Wilkes, Senior Vice President, RCC.  "When it comes to improving Canada's food safety system we support the policy intent behind the new Safe Food for Canadians Act and this new Action Plan."

The May 17^th announcement committed the government to working with consumer groups and industry to help develop regulations under the new Act.  The planned consultations are a continuation of ongoing discussions on a modernized framework that began before Bill S-11 was passed.   "RCC and our members appreciate the collaborative approach that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has taken.  We believe this collaboration will only act to strengthen these efforts through the sharing of knowledge and expertise in the area of food safety," added Wilkes.

Minister Ritz kicked off the government's Action Plan with an announcement that CFIA will be proposing new labelling requirements for some meat and poultry products specific to federally-registered processors and that Health Canada will be doing the same for tenderized beef in grocery stores.

Wilkes concluded by saying that "RCC and our members have a strong working relationship with Health Canada and as an example, last year our members swiftly implemented voluntary labelling practices for tenderized beef," in response to a request from the Department. In that spirit, "RCC intends to continue to participate in the government consultations related to the Safe Food for Canadians Act and looks forward to ensuring that Canada's food supply chain continues to be recognized as a leader in food safety practices."

About Retail Council of Canada
Retail Council of Canada (www.retailcouncil.org) is the Voice of Retail. Founded in 1963, RCC is a not-for-profit association which represents more than 45,000 stores of all retail formats, including department, grocery, independent merchants, regional and national specialty chains, and online merchants.

SOURCE: Retail Council of Canada

Devon Pool
Retail Council of Canada
[email protected]
416 467-3759