Food businesses are responsible for food safety, and for complying with federal food regulations and policies. Failure to meet federal requirements may result in measures such as product seizure or recall, licence suspension or cancellation, administrative monetary penalties, and/or prosecution.
If you make ready-to-eat food to sell in other provinces, territories, or countries, you must follow:
- part 4 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR)
- Health Canada's 2023 Policy on Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods
- the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) control measures for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods
Key requirements for businesses to reduce the risk of Listeria
Understand the risk
- Listeria can survive in cold, moist environments – even at refrigeration temperatures.
- Ready-to-eat foods may support the growth of Listeria, especially those that have an extended shelf-life, such as (but not limited to): deli-meats, cheeses, packaged salads, and refrigerated plant-based beverages.
- These foods have been linked to outbreaks of listeriosis, a bacterial infection that can cause serious illness or even death, especially in vulnerable populations like the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.
Establish preventive controls
- Include Listeria in your hazard analysis and put control measures in place.
- Ensure plant layout allows for traffic control, and separation of equipment and utensils between raw and ready-to-eat processing areas.
- Establish effective sanitation procedures and train staff to ensure they follow them.
- Maintain, clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces, equipment, and tools regularly.
- Disassemble equipment to deep clean hard-to-reach areas.
Conduct sampling and testing
- Your sampling and testing program must include non-food contact surfaces, food contact surfaces and finished product testing.
- Analyze trends and increase sampling frequency if persistent contamination is found or after major facility changes (for example, construction, new equipment).
- Notify the CFIA of positive product test results if there is a risk of consumer exposure.
Document what you are doing to prevent, detect and control contamination
- Maintain records of testing, corrective actions, investigative sampling and risk management actions (for example, disposition of product).
- It is important to maintain records of your sanitation and other preventive control measures.
Take action if Listeria is found
- Identify and control any implicated product that is within your control.
- Investigate the root cause of the contamination and take measures to prevent its reoccurrence.
- Conduct additional testing and if contamination persists, increase sanitation efforts and adjust control measures.
- If contaminated product has been sold to consumers, work with the CFIA to do a food recall.