Introduction to the Canadian Food Safety System Roles and Responsibilities in Food Surveillance December 9, 2013 Samuel Godefroy, Ph.D. Director General, Food Directorate, Health Canada - Vice-Chair, Codex Alimentarius Commission

2 Industry farmers, food manufacturers, food distributors, food service establishments and retailers Consumers Government federal, provincial and territorial (P/T), municipal Canada’s Food Safety System: A Shared Responsibility

3 Canada’s Constitution allows all levels of government (federal, provincial/territorial and municipal) to: Enact food safety and quality legislation; Establish and enforce policies, standards and laws; Provide information, guidance; and, Provide effective and efficient program delivery. Canadian Food Safety: The Role of Government

4 Food Safety Roles Key Federal Organizations

5 Canadian Food Safety: Key Federal Accountabilities On-farm Food Safety Policy & Standards Surveillance & Early Warning Education & Outreach Inspection & Enforcement Public Health Surveillance AAFCHCCFIAPHAC  Contributes to research and development of on farm food safety programs  Establishes food safety policy and standards  Assesses the effectiveness of CFIA’s food safety activities  Conducts health risk assessments in support of food safety investigations  Informs Canadians about potential risks to their Health  Designs and delivers federal food inspection programs  Monitors industry’s compliance with the Acts and Regulations  Undertakes enforcement action as necessary  Conducts food safety investigations & food recalls  Public health surveillance  Leads foodborne illness outbreak investigations with P/T public health officials

6 Food Control System Legilsation Regulations Food Inspection Services Surveillance and Monitoring Information, Education Communication and Training Food Control System

7 Food Safety-related Surveillance Food Safety Public Health Market Access Food safety surveillance provides information concerning the baseline level of food borne contamination Supports standards development and assessment of effectiveness Enables the establishment of performance targets (e.g. pathogen reduction) An estimated 4 million cases of foodborne illness per year in Canada Economic costs including health care and lost productivity estimated at $3.7 billion annually Better attribution of foodborne illnesses to sources can help to target food safety efforts and reduce the public health burden Enhanced surveillance helps set targets based on public health outcomes Surveillance is increasingly being required by trading partners to demonstrate the effectiveness of national food safety control systems. Effective surveillance is a demonstration of the « well-being « of a food safety system

8 Important building blocks Food Surveillance initiatives: Total Diet surveyus, infant food surveys, targetted surveys - Consumption surveys: General population and targeted groups - Biomonitoring activities Animal health and plant health surveillance Food Borne Illness Surveillance Critical for standard setting

9 Pathogens : traditional and emerging, bacterial, parasitic, viral and prion- disease agents in foods Food additives, contaminants, and food contact chemicals: packaging materials, incidental additives Health Canada (HC) Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) Food Directorate (FD) Bureau of Microbial Hazards (BMH) Bureau of Chemical Safety (BCS) Bureau of Nutritional Sciences (BNS) Vancouver,BCOttawa, ONMontréal, QCWinnipeg, MB Nutrients, infant formula formulations, fats and oils, vitamins Bureau of Food Surveillance and Science Integration(BFSSI) Bureau of Policy, Intergovernmental and International Affairs (BPIIA) Bureau of Business Systems and Operations (BBSO) Toronto, ON Food Directorate Structure

10 Raison d’Être of Food Chemical Safety Program To ensure that Chemicals are NOT present in food at LEVELS that lead to adverse health effects for Canadians

11 Chemicals that May Enter the Food Supply Food Additives (preservatives, flavours) Packaging Materials, Processing aids etc… Agrochemicals (Pesticides and Veterinary Drugs) Natural Toxins (fungal, algal, microbial) Contaminants (metals, POPs, etc…) “Processing-induced” chemicals (PAHs, acrylamide, Furan, HAAs) Pre-market Post- market VDD-PMRA

12 General Scheme for Risk Assessment of chemicals in food HAZARD IDENTIFICATION EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT RISK CHARACTERISATION HAZARD CHARACTERISATION RISK MANAGEMENT

13 Standard Setting is based on Current Health Risk Assesments. Risk Assessments require CANADIAN human exposure data for chemicals in food Surveillance and monitoring enable to identify and investigate emerging issues Surveillance activities also enable to measure the effectiveness of risk management decisions and their implementation Responsibility Rationale: Why ? So What ?

14 Data on occurrence of chemicals / nutrients: Total Diet Study Child Food Survey : Infant Formulae, baby foods Commodity-based surveys: Fish and Seafood survey, bottled water, Soft drinks, French fries, potato chips, chocolate Contribution to Human Bio- monitoring : Human milk survey Canadian Health Measures survey Main contributor to surveillance and monitoring data delivery Surveillance Activities Underway

15 Expected outcomes Outcomes: Evidence-based decision making Greater confidence in the food safety system expressed by consumers and trading partners Improved competitiveness of the agri-food industry and greater market access Enhanced protection of consumers : Protection and promotion of health Science/Evidence-based food safety control system

16  Responsibility Rationale: Why ? So What ?