The regulatory system needs to change with the food industry to avoid unnecessary costs, says the report
The Canadian food regulatory system, while robust and supported by industry, needs a burst of innovation to keep up with the times, says the Conference Board of Canada.
It could include enacting a new Foods Act, the addition of a more vigorous cost-benefit analysis to the system, improvements in measurement of regulatory effectiveness and inclusion of an automatic “sunset clause” that would kill regulations “if their existence is no longer justified.”
The report from the board’s Centre for Food in Canada (CFIC) also calls on governments to mesh public regulations more closely with food quality systems and private quality standards created and enforced by the private sector.
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“It is clear that while the Canadian food regulatory system is strong and considered world class in achieving public policy outcomes, (for example), food safety, there is still room for improvement,” said the report, which was published Feb. 1.
“In examining the effectiveness of the regulatory system, the costs of regulatory intervention relative to its benefits need to be taken into account.”
The report was published days before the board hosts a national conference on the issue in Toronto featuring national industry, health, academic and regulatory leaders.
The Conference Board is one of three national organizations working to develop a national food strategy for Canada. Last year, it created the Centre for Food in Canada as a three-year project to lead the work. It plans to unveil the results of its work by October 2013.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Agricultural Policy Institute have also launched national food strategy pro-jects.
The CFIC report says players in the Canadian food industry supports strong and effective regulations.
“It is widely recognized among industry members and regulators that a high-performance food system requires a strong and enabling regulatory environment, streamlined in a way that reduces unnecessary costs and leverages the work that industry already does on food safety.”
It says there is “no appetite in business for significant deregulation of the industry.”
However, there are calls for im-provement, including a closer integration of public regulation and private food safety systems.
The report said the private sector has created its own food safety standards and practices that often exceed public regulation requirements, from the CFA-initiated Canadian On-Farm Food Safety Working Group to extensive quality control systems developed by major food companies.
“One of the challenges facing the regulatory system is keeping current with changes in the food industry,” said the report.
“If the regulatory system is to rationalize its activities and avoid subjecting companies to unnecessary costs, regulatory agencies need to understand private quality systems and to what extent these systems do, in fact, help achieve national food outcomes.”
The study also recommended that Canadian rules be compatible with international regulatory standards
