Food safety issues can lead to serious health risks for the public and are costly for businesses. That's why under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), food businesses need to have preventive controls in place. They may also need to prepare, keep, maintain and implement a written preventive control plan (PCP) to demonstrate how risks to food and food animals are identified and controlled.
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Preventive controls
Part 4 (Preventive controls) of the SFCR contains the majority of the federal requirements for food safety as well as some animal welfare requirements.
Divisions 2 to 5 of Part 4 establish requirements for:
- Hazard identification and analysis
- Prevention, elimination and reduction of hazards
- Treatment and processes
- Maintenance and operation of the establishment:
- sanitation, pest control and non-food agents
- conveyances and equipment
- conditions of the establishment
- maintenance and operation of establishments
- loading, unloading and storing
- employee competence, hygiene, and health
- Investigation, notification, complaints and recall
Visit Regulatory requirements: Preventive controls for a detailed explanation of the preventive control requirements in Part 4 of the SFCR.
Who needs to have preventive controls in place
As applicable, Divisions 2 to 5 of Part 4 apply to operators who:
- hold a licence to manufacture, process, treat, preserve, grade, package or label food
- hold a licence to slaughter food animals
- hold a licence to store and handle an edible meat product in its imported condition for CFIA inspection
- grow or harvest fresh fruits or vegetables for interprovincial trade or export
- handle fish on a vessel for interprovincial trade or export
Some of the preventive control requirements also apply to food businesses who hold a licence to import food. Refer to Food imports for more information on the requirements for importing food.
Preventive controls for food and establishments
CFIA has developed guidance that builds on the explanation of the preventive control requirements by providing further information on the control measures to help food businesses comply with SFCR requirements:
- Controls for establishments – guidance on cleaning and sanitation, control measures for Listeria monocytogenes, incoming ingredients, sampling procedures, pest control and more
- Controls for food – guidance on conducting a hazard analysis, evidence showing a control measure is effective, sampling procedures, thermal processing, food-specific preventive controls and more
- Recall procedure: A guide for food businesses
If you use this guidance to help you meet the preventive control requirements, you must tailor it to fit your business to ensure that all hazards are identified and effective control measures are put in place to prevent, eliminate or reduce the hazards to an acceptable level.
Additional resources
- Fact sheet: Preventive food safety controls – available in multiple languages
- Questions and answers on preventive controls and preventive control plans
- Infographic: Key preventive food safety controls
- Infographic: Categories of hazards: Keeping food safe
Preventive control plan
In addition to meeting preventive control requirements, many food businesses are also required to prepare, keep, maintain and implement a preventive control plan (PCP) [SFCR Division 6].
A PCP is a written document that demonstrates how hazards to your food are identified and prevented, eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level. The PCP also includes elements relating to packaging, labelling, grading, standards of identity and food safety. There are also preventive controls relating to humane treatment of food animals from which meat products are derived. Your PCP must demonstrate that you meet all applicable requirements in SFCR Part 4.
Visit Regulatory requirements: Preventive control plan for a detailed explanation of the PCP requirements in Part 4 of the SFCR.
Who needs a PCP
The PCP requirements generally apply if you:
- hold a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence to:
- import food
- manufacture, process, treat, preserve, grade, package, label or store food for interprovincial trade
- manufacture, process, treat, preserve, grade, package, label or store meat products or fish for interprovincial trade or export
- slaughter food animals from which meat products are derived
- store and handle edible meat products in their imported condition for inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
- grow or harvest fresh fruits or vegetables for interprovincial trade; and
- request an export certificate from the CFIA
The PCP interactive tool can help you determine if your business needs a plan.
Small businesses in some sectors may not be required to have a PCP. However, they must still meet the applicable preventive control requirements outlined in Divisions 2 to 5 of Part 4 of the SFCR. Refer to Preventive control plan exception for small food businesses for more information.
Keep in mind
The CFIA does not approve PCPs. CFIA inspectors verify that food businesses have documented evidence that their control measures are effective in meeting the requirements of the SFCR.
Prepare your PCP
The following guidance can help you prepare your PCP:
General guidance
- Conducting a hazard analysis
- Evidence showing a control measure is effective
- Determining critical control points and their critical limits
- Monitoring procedures
- Corrective action procedures
- Verification procedures
- Record keeping
Guidance for domestic food businesses
- A guide for preparing a PCP – for domestic food businesses
- PCP templates for domestic food businesses
Guidance for food importers
Guidance for food exporters
Examples of PCP approaches
- The Food Safety Enhancement Program approach to a preventive control plan
- The Quality Management Program approach to a preventive control plan
Additional resources
- Video: Creating a PCP
- Infographic: Your PCP
- Questions and answers on preventive controls and PCPs