Canada invests in food safety for chicken industry

The Government of Canada is supporting chicken farmers by strengthening food safety systems on chicken farms across the country.

Member of Parliament James Bezan (Selkirk—Interlake), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced an investment of up to $72,500 to the Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) as the organisation met for its annual summer meeting in Winnipeg.

“Helping Canadian farmers continue to produce safe, high-quality food for the marketplace is critical, as our government’s top priority remains the economy,” said MP Bezan. “This project will help chicken farmers proactively manage food safety risks so they can continue to meet growing market demands.”

The CFC will use this investment to undergo an audit of its on-farm food safety system, helping to ensure that the chicken industry follows top-notch safety procedures and practices. The CFC will then proceed to the final stage of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program. This national program follows the Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles to make sure that potential food safety problems are caught before products leave the farm gate.

The CFC is working toward becoming the first organisation to achieve full recognition by this program, and other organisations will be able to learn from the experiences of this pilot project. A strong, government-recognised food safety system will give Canadians more assurance that food products are handled safely, helping to boost farmers’ bottom line.

This federal Growing Forward investment is being made through the Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative (CIFSI).