A Canadian Food Inspection Agency review of what local food means is an exercise in futility, says a consumer advocate.
“It’s a waste of resources of the CFIA to be playing around with this,” said Mel Fruitman, vice-president of the Consumers’ Association of Canada.
The CFIA announced it will seek input from consumers, industry and others to review food labelling regulations, guidelines and policies on food considered “local.”
The agency defines local as food produced within the province or territory in which it is sold or food sold across provincial boundaries within 50 kilometres of the originating province or territory.
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Fruitman said it’s necessary to first define what the purpose is in designating something local and then defining what that means and why it’s something people even want in the first place.
“Any definition they come up with will be wrong to a lot of people,” he said. “It’s a circular topic that gets you nowhere.”
Claims such as local are voluntary, but food products are subject to prohibitions relating to false and misleading claims of the Food and Drugs Act and Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.
Previous policy interpreted local as food produced within 50 km of where it was sold or food sold that originated within the same or adjacent region.
The review is expected to take one to two years.
