Food Safety
The BC Centre for Disease Control, Food Protection Services division under the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) is the organization which addresses public health concerns regarding food and food protection by providing scientific expertise to the Health Authorities and to the Ministry of Health. Local Health Authorities administer the Food Premises Regulation in British Columbia. The Food Premises Regulation outlines public health requirements for business which supply and serve food to the public. The Health Authorities are responsible for licensing, inspecting and responding to complaints regarding food facilities within their jurisdiction. The local Health Authority also administers the FOODSAFE education program in their region. More information on the Food Program can be found on the BC Centre for Disease Control website. The British Columbia Meat Inspection Regulation was enacted under the Food Safety Act in 2004. The regulation governs the slaughter of animals for food sales in British Columbia, and enhances British Columbia's food safety system by providing a consistent province-wide standard for meat sold to the public. In 2004, a two-year transitional period was incorporated into the Regulation to allow existing facilities outside designated meat inspection areas time to adapt to the Regulation. That transitional period was extended one year, making these facilities subject to the Regulation effective September 30, 2007. To aid with the transition to the new regulation, a transitional Class C license was created to enable meat producers and processors who are in the process of upgrading their facilities to continue direct farm-gate sales to the public. Meat sold under this license is not be eligible for resale – such as in restaurants – and must be marked as “Not Government Inspected – Not for Resale.” In 2006, the Province provided $5 million in funding to help industry make the transition to province-wide licensing. On April 17, 2008, the Province announced more than $3.8 million in additional funding to help small producers develop licensed capacity and support agricultural communities in remaining secure, viable and competitive. For more information, see the provincial news release. New changes to the regulation were made in June 2008 to provide additional flexibility for rural and isolated communities and support those who have already made significant efforts to become fully licensed. The BCCDC Food Protection Services administers the BC Food Safety Act and Meat Inspection Regulation. Under this legislation, inspection services to provincially licensed “Domestic” meat plant operations are managed by Food Protection Services through a contract agreement with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). For more information on food safety in the meat sector, please contact the Environmental Health Program within your Health Authority, review the Health Files or read the Food Safety Health Information files which are hyperlinked from the right hand navigation bar on this page. Food Protection Services under the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) licences all dairy plants in British Columbia under the BC Milk Industry Act, and the Milk Industry Standards Regulation. The Food Protection Services also provides an inspection service to all dairy plants licenced in British Columbia. The purpose of the inspection service is to ensure that all dairy plants comply with the standards and requirements of the BC Milk Industry Act and Regulations. Food Protection Services also develops and provides educational materials to dairy plant operators with regard to dairy product safety and develops product safety programs More information and resources on milk and dairy can be found on the BCCDC website. Additional food safety information can be found on the related Health Files or the BCCDC Food Safety Health Information files which are hyperlinked from the right hand navigation bar on this page. The Fish Inspection Act and Fish Inspection Regulations govern fish and shellfish harvested, processed and sold in British Columbia (exports outside of BC fall under federal regulations). Under this framework the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (BCMAL) issues licences for commercial fisheries, finfish and shellfish aquaculture, and fish processing plants. The Health Authorities are responsible for inspecting and recommending approval of provincially licenced fish processing plants to the BCMAL. More information on the Fish and Shellfish Program can be found on the BC Centre for Disease Control website. Additional food safety information can be found on the related Health Files or the Food Safety Health Information files which are hyperlinked from the right hand navigation bar on this page. |
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