Many of you have asked -how do I meet the Safe Food for Canadian Requirements (SFCR) with an existing food safety management system?
Indeed, there are a number of food safety documents that we use in our day-to-day operations to ensure compliance with multiple regulatory and voluntary certifications. So, it did make sense to incorporate the requirements into an existing program.
The SFCR requires compliance in terms of three main areas:
- Licensing
- Preventative Control Program (PCP)
- Recall and Traceability
Tips #1: Knowing the ins and outs of the SFCR program licensing
For all facilities that manufacture, process, treat, preserve, grade, package or label food, you may be subjected to the requirement to obtain an SFC license for your operations.
Preventative Control Program (PCP)
A few key points for the PCP program are listed below:
- Written program
- Demonstrate risks to food and food animals are identified and controlled based on HACCP principles. ie. retaining the scientific approach of identifying and controlling risks.
- Measures to ensure the packaging, labelling, grades and standards of identity are met.
Importer:
For importers, a PCP describes how the importer and its foreign suppliers are meeting preventive food safety control requirements.
SFCR requirement: Section 50 -89
Recall and Traceability Program
Traceability program helps to identify and recall food that does not meet SFCR requirements in the marketplace. The traceability program also involves retailers and persons who send or convey food products interprovincially. The requirement concepts are simple -tracing one step forward (customer) and one step backward (supplier). Tracing for customer often stop at the retail level ie. if you sell your food products to Loblaw, your traceability process ends there.
You must be able to ensure that you are able to trace all products that you manufacture, process, pack and distribute. CFIA requires traceability to be conducted within 24 hours.
SFCR requirement: Section 90 -92