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What we heard report – Consultation on proposed changes to the Canadian Grade Compendium: Volume 3 – Processed Fruit or Vegetable Products

Introduction

The requirements for diced or cubed white potatoes packaged in a hermetically sealed package are outlined in section 40 of the Canadian Grade Compendium: Volume 3 – Processed Fruit or Vegetable Products.

Following a request from Canadian industry, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is proposing changes to these requirements, to increase the maximum dice size from 10 mm to 20 mm.

The objective of the proposed amendments is to reflect the following:

The consultation was open for comments from January 21 to February 21, 2022.

This report summarizes the feedback received and the next steps for finalizing the new grade requirements.

Who we heard from

The CFIA received feedback from 1 national industry association, 1 producer/packer, 2 representatives of academia and several dozen members of the public.

What we heard

Of the comments received that were in the scope of the consultation question, there was support to proceed with the proposed changes. Other comments raised questions about the purpose of food grades, their relevance in the marketplace and the CFIA's role in providing oversight. Here are the highlights of those comments.

There was overall support for the proposed changes to the maximum size of diced or cubed processed potatoes:

There were 3 consumer comments opposed to the change:

Some comments were received regarding the role of food grades in the Canadian marketplace:

Next steps

In light of the general support for the proposed changes, CFIA will amend the grade standard and requirements governing the maximum size of diced or cubed white potatoes packaged in hermetically sealed packages.

Regarding the comments that pertained to using grades standards more generally, CFIA believes this is valuable information. The agency will retain these comments for future work on grade standards.

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