Once fish becomes a food product, it falls under the responsibility of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
On this page
How we protect consumers
We protect consumers through a robust system that helps verify the fish you buy is safe and properly labelled.
- Most businesses must be licensed to produce food
- Canadian laws prohibit regulated parties from misrepresenting food, and there are regulations outlining the requirements that industry must meet
- We work closely with the food industry to promote compliance and provides tools, such as the CFIA fish list and Industry Labelling Tool, to help industry verify that their food labels meet regulatory requirements
- We also work to protect consumers and the food industry from misrepresentation through targeted inspections, sampling and DNA testing of fish species based on risk for misrepresentation
- Even with this targeted approach to identify misrepresentation, compliance was high 93% of fish common names accurately labelled
- When non-compliance is found, the CFIA takes appropriate action, which can include detention, relabelling, destruction, or removal from Canada
Our plan
Although Canada is recognized as having one of the best food safety systems in the world, food fraud is still a global issue.
Based on what we have heard from consumers, industry and other stakeholders, we are taking action to help consumers have access to high quality, safe and healthy fish and seafood that is truthfully labelled. This approach does not put an unnecessary burden on industry or increase costs for consumers.
Short term activities with an immediate positive impact
- Increasing awareness about fish species substitution through partnerships, videos, social media, and marketing campaigns
- Ongoing updates to the CFIA fish list and industry labelling tool, which help companies verify their food labels meet all the regulatory requirements
- Continuing fish misrepresentation surveillance, and publishing the results of these activities
Medium term enhancements to programs and policies
- Increasing awareness and supplementing existing industry guidance for preventing fish and seafood misrepresentation, and meeting labelling and traceability requirements
- Engaging with our provincial and territorial partners who have roles at restaurants and retail to explore more opportunities for collaboration
- Enhancing our international efforts to better mitigate risks related to fish and seafood products imported into Canada
- Expanding our DNA barcoding method capabilities, including differentiating between closely related fish species to detect the substitution of a lower value fish for a higher one
Longer term considerations
- We will participate in an Interdepartmental Task Force led by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to examine these issues
- Should we determine at a later date that regulatory changes are needed to protect Canadian consumers and the health of our fishing industry, this information will be shared in the agency's Forward Regulatory Plan
Now and in the future, these actions serve as the foundation to strengthen public trust that is key to consumer confidence. Academia and trading partners are also working to remain up to date on the latest science, and together we seek opportunities to share information that enhances our global capabilities.
Compliance and enforcement actions
Report a concern
If you suspect a food is mislabelled, you can tell the responsible company or report it to the CFIA.