Safe Food for Canadians Act (S.C. 2012, c. 24)

• Published date: 25 February 2013
• Section: Part III - Acts of Parliament
• Gazette Issue: 3 - [object Object]

S.C. 2012, c. 24

Assented to 2012-11-22

An Act respecting food commodities, including their inspection, their safety, their labelling and advertising, their import, export and interprovincial trade, the establishment of standards for them, the registration or licensing of persons who perform certain activities related to them, the establishment of standards governing establishments where those activities are performed and the registration of establishments where those activities are performed

SUMMARY

This enactment modernizes the regulatory system for food commodities.

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE

Marginal note:Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Safe Food for Canadians Act.

INTERPRETATION

Marginal note:Definitions

2. The following definitions apply in this Act.

“advertisement”

« publicité »

“advertisement” includes a representation by any means for the purpose of promoting directly or indirectly the sale of a food commodity.

“Agency”

« Agence »

“Agency” means the Canadian Food Inspection Agency established by section 3 of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act.

“analyst”

« analyste »

“analyst” means a person designated as an analyst under subsection 13(3) of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act for the purposes of this Act.

“conveyance”

« véhicule »

“conveyance” means a vessel, aircraft, train, motor vehicle, trailer or other means of transportation, including a cargo container.

“document”

« document »

“document” means anything on which information that is capable of being understood by a person, or read by a computer or other device, is recorded or marked.

“establishment”

« établissement »

“establishment” means any place, including a conveyance, where a food commodity is manufactured, prepared, stored, packaged or labelled.

“food commodity”

« produit alimentaire »

“food commodity” means

• (a) any food as defined in section 2 of the Food and Drugs Act;

• (b) any animal or plant, or any of its parts, from which food referred to in paragraph (a) may be derived; or

• (c) anything prescribed to be a food commodity.

“grade name”

« nom de catégorie »

“grade name” means a prescribed name, mark or designation of a food commodity.

“inspection mark”

« sceau d’inspection »

“inspection mark” means a prescribed mark, stamp, seal, product legend, word or design or any combination of those things.

“inspector”

« inspecteur »

“inspector” means a person designated under subsection 13(3) of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act or paragraph 9(2)(b) of the Canada Border Services Agency Act as an inspector for the purposes of this Act.

“item to which this Act applies”

« chose visée par la présente loi »

“item to which this Act applies” means

• (a) a food commodity;

• (b) anything used in an activity regulated under this Act; and

• (c) a document that is related to a food commodity or to any activity regulated under this Act.

“label”

« étiquette »

“label” includes a legend, word or mark that is or is to be applied or attached to or included in, or that accompanies or is to accompany, a food commodity or a package.

“Minister”

« ministre »

“Minister” means the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

“package”

« emballage »

“package” means an inner or outer receptacle or covering used or to be used in connection with a food commodity and includes a wrapper or confining band.

“person”

« personne »

“person” has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Criminal Code.

“personal information”

« renseignements personnels »

“personal information” has the same meaning as in section 3 of the Privacy Act.

“prepare”

« conditionnement »

“prepare”, in respect of a food commodity, includes to process, treat, preserve, handle, test, grade, code or slaughter it or to do any other activity in respect of it that is prescribed.

“prescribed”

Version anglaise seulement

“prescribed” means prescribed by the regulations.

“sell”

« vente »

“sell” includes agree to sell, offer for sale, expose for sale or have in possession for sale — or distribute to one or more persons whether or not the distribution is made for consideration.

“Tribunal”

« Commission »

“Tribunal” means the Review Tribunal continued by subsection 27(1) of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act.

“violation”

« violation »

“violation” means any of the following that may be proceeded with in accordance with the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act:

• (a) any contravention of any provision of this Act or of a regulation made under this Act; and

• (b) any refusal or neglect to perform any duty imposed by or under this Act.

HER MAJESTY

Marginal note:Act binding on Her Majesty

3. This Act is binding on Her Majesty in right of Canada or a province.

PROHIBITIONS

Marginal note:Importing

4. It is prohibited for a person to import a food commodity the selling of which is prohibited under section 4 of the Food and Drugs Act.

Marginal note:Recall order — Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act

5. It is prohibited for a person to sell a food commodity that is the subject of a recall order referred to in subsection 19(1) of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act.

Marginal note:Deception, erroneous impression, etc.

• 6. (1) It is prohibited for a person to manufacture, prepare, package, label, sell, import or advertise a food commodity in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, quality, value, quantity, composition, merit, safety or origin or the method of its manufacture or preparation.

• Marginal note:Labelled or packaged contrary to regulations

  (2) A food commodity that is labelled or packaged in contravention of a provision of the regulations is considered, for the purposes of this section, to be labelled or packaged in contravention of subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Advertised contrary to regulations

  (3) A food commodity that is advertised in contravention of a provision of the regulations is considered, for the purposes of this section, to be advertised in contravention of subsection (1).

Marginal note:Tampering

7. It is prohibited for a person to tamper with any food commodity, its label or its package with intent to

• (a) render the food commodity injurious to human health; or

• (b) cause a reasonable apprehension in others that the food commodity is injurious to human health.

Marginal note:Threats

8. It is prohibited for a person to threaten to render a food commodity injurious to human health.

Marginal note:Communicating false or misleading information

9. It is prohibited for a person to communicate information, knowing that information to be false or misleading or being reckless as to whether it is false or misleading, with intent to cause a reasonable apprehension in others that a food commodity was tampered with in order to render it injurious to human health.

Marginal note:Sending, conveying, importing or exporting in accordance with regulations

• 10. (1) It is prohibited for a person to send or convey from one province to another — or to import or export — a prescribed food commodity unless the person does so in accordance with the regulations.

• Marginal note:Sending, conveying, importing or exporting with licence or registration

  (2) It is prohibited for a person to send or convey from one province to another — or to import or export — a prescribed food commodity unless the person is authorized to do so by a registration made under paragraph 20(1)(a), by a licence issued under that paragraph or by both such a registration and licence, as provided for in the regulations.

• Marginal note:Sending, conveying, importing or exporting of commodity that meets requirements of regulations

  (3) It is prohibited for a person to send or convey from one province to another — or to import or export — a prescribed food commodity unless the food commodity meets the requirements of the regulations.

Marginal note:Selling, advertising or possessing

11. It is prohibited for a person to sell, advertise or have in their possession a food commodity that has been sent or conveyed from one province to another, or imported, in contravention of any provision of this Act or the regulations.

Marginal note:Possession of commodity that meets requirements of regulations

12. It is prohibited for a person to have in their possession for the purpose of sending or conveying from one province to another — or for the purpose of exporting — a prescribed food commodity, unless it meets the requirements of the regulations.

Marginal note:Conduct of prescribed activity in accordance with the regulations

• 13. (1) It is prohibited for a person to conduct a prescribed activity in respect of a prescribed food commodity that has been imported — or that is to be exported or to be sent or conveyed from one province to another — unless the activity is conducted in accordance with the regulations.

• Marginal note:Conduct of prescribed activity with licence or registration

  (2) It is prohibited for a person to conduct a prescribed activity in respect of a prescribed food commodity that has been imported — or that is to be exported or to be sent or conveyed from one province to another — unless the person is authorized to conduct that activity by a registration made under paragraph 20(1)(b), a licence issued under that paragraph or by both such a registration and licence, as provided for in the regulations.

Marginal note:Use of inspection mark or grade name

• 14. (1) Unless authorized by the regulations, it is prohibited for a person to

  • (a) apply or use an inspection mark or grade name; or

  • (b) advertise or sell anything if the thing has an inspection mark or grade name on it, or an inspection mark or grade name is used in connection with the thing.

• Marginal note:Use of similar mark or name

  (2) It is prohibited for a person to

  • (a) apply or use a thing that so resembles an inspection mark or grade name that it is likely to be mistaken for it; or

  • (b) advertise or sell anything that has on it a thing referred to in paragraph (a) or that has a thing referred to...