Food Product Innovation initiative: summary of changes
Amendments for standard container sizes
Certain standard container sizes were removed. The remaining standard container sizes have been incorporated by reference (IBR) into the standard container sizes IBR, which can be found in the Inventory of documents incorporated by reference.
The Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) is in the process of being updated to reflect these changes.
All standard container sizes were removed for these foods
- Apricots
- Asparagus
- Bean sprouts and vegetables for chop suey
- Fresh beets for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Fresh fruit or vegetables, other than those listed in the standard container size IBR, for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Fresh onions for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Fresh parsnips for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Fresh rutabagas for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Frozen concentrated apple juice or frozen apple juice concentrate for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Frozen cooked squash and frozen diced uncooked squash for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Frozen french-fried potatoes for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Frozen fruits for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations, dry pack or pie pack, unsweetened, no sugar added
- Frozen fruits for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations, with added sugar, syrup, fruit juice or fruit juice from concentrate
- Frozen mixed vegetables or macédoine, frozen peas and carrots and frozen whole, diced or sliced carrots, for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Frozen peas, frozen whole kernel corn and frozen lima beans, for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Frozen special blends or combination mixed vegetables, if the blends or mixed vegetables contain 1 or more vegetables that are graded in accordance with these regulations
- Frozen spinach for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Fruit and vegetable juices but not including concentrated apple juice or apple juice concentrate, carbonated juices or juices that are packaged with nitrogen
- Fruit juices, including citrus and pineapple juices, but not including lemon, lime, grape, cherry, black currant or raspberry juices, the juices of other berries, carbonated juices or juices that are packaged with nitrogen
- Fruits packaged with or without water, fruit juice and fruit juice from concentrate, syrup or any combination, heavy pack or solid pack
- Glucose syrup and refined sugar syrup
- Grapefruits, oranges and grapefruit and orange sections
- Grape juice, concentrated grape juice or grape juice concentrate and grape juice from concentrate, but not including carbonated juices or juices that are packaged with nitrogen
- Honey that is graded in accordance with these regulations, other than consumer prepackaged honey that is graded in accordance with these regulations
- Jams, jellies, marmalades and preserves (conserves), but not including cranberry jelly, jellied cranberries or cranberry sauce
- Mandarin oranges
- Other frozen vegetables — including asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and green and wax beans — for which a grade is prescribed by these regulations
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple, sliced, crushed, tidbits or chunks
- Sweet potatoes, cut
- Sweet potatoes, whole
- Vegetable soups, condensed
- Vegetable soups, ready-to-serve
Standard container sizes have been added for the following foods
- Fresh potatoes for which a grade is prescribed: 1.81 kg (only permitted for Canada No. 1 Creamer) and 6.80 kg
- Prepackaged fresh apples, other than consumer prepackaged: no greater than 200 kg
- Prepackaged fresh carrots, other than consumer prepackaged: no greater than 50 kg
- Prepackaged fresh potatoes, other than consumer prepackaged: no greater than 50 kg
- Tomato juice: 200 mL or less, 250 mL, 284 mL, 398 mL, 500 mL, 540 mL, 750 mL, 796 mL, 1 L, 1.36 L, 1.5 L, 1.82 L, 2L and any size from 2.5 L to 20 L in increments of 500 mL
Test marketing authorizations
When the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations came into force, test market provisions were expanded to apply to all foods and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency used 1 common process and set of criteria for all commodities to test the viability of foods on the Canadian market. This process is now scoped to testing the viability of new foods on the Canadian market that have not previously been sold in Canada in that form and which differ substantially from any other food sold in Canada with respect to its composition, function, condition or packaging form.
For more information see the guidance on test marketing authorizations.
Incorporation by reference of ingredient common names (class names)
The list of mandatory ingredient common names and optional class names previously in regulations has been incorporated by reference (IBR) into the common names for ingredients and components IBR, which can be found in the Inventory of documents incorporated by reference. Changes were minimal:
- the reference to "partially hydrogenated" was removed from column I of table to subsection B.01.010(3) of the Food and Drug Regulations which describes the ingredient. There were no changes to the mandatory ingredient common names
- the list of class names for spices, herbs and seasonings ingredients was expanded and the description of seasoning ingredients clarified to align with longstanding policy
True nature requirements
Requirements on the true nature of the food have replaced many prescriptive requirements for labelling of specific commodities. Under this rule, if a prepackaged food is likely to be mistaken for another food, words describing its true nature must appear on the principal display panel.
For more information see the guidance on true nature, and the terms removed from the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and Food and Drug Regulations.
Descriptive words, expressions and identification names for specific foods
Certain commodity specific requirements were removed. Those that remain (for example firmness and ripening characteristics of cheese, colour of canned tuna, products packed in syrup) have been incorporated by reference (IBR) into the descriptive words, expressions and identification names for specific foods IBR, which can be found in the Inventory of documents incorporated by reference.
Terms removed from the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and Food and Drug Regulations
These may still be used on labels to describe products, but are repealed from the regulations.
Fish and fish products
- A descriptive term declaring that the food is manufactured or prepared from minced fish on fish sticks, fish finger and other uniform rectangular portions of breaded fish flesh
- "Boneless" on hermetically sealed packages of salmon when the vertebrae have been removed
- "Dry Pack" on lobster meat packaged without brine
- Expression that describes the processing of the fish
- "Fillet" on salted fish fillet
- "Frozen Lobster Meat" on frozen lobster meat
- Indication in the common name that the fish in a hermetically sealed package was manufactured for dietetic use
- Indication in the common name that the fish in a hermetically sealed package was prepared from selected parts of fish
- Indication in the common name that the fish in a hermetically sealed package was prepared by mincing, flaking or another special process
- "Minced" on minced salmon in a hermetically sealed package
- "Salmon Tips" on salmon trimmings in a hermetically sealed package
- "Skinless" on hermetically sealed packages of salmon when skin has been removed
- "Split Fish" on salted fish split with two-thirds of the anterior backbone removed
- "Split Fish with Entire Backbone" on salted fish split with entire backbone
Honey
- "Creamed" or another word that indicates that the contents are granulated on honey
- "Liquid" on liquid honey
- "Pasteurized" on pasteurized honey
- "Pressed" on pressed honey
Meat and poultry products
- "Baked" on edible meat products subject to dry heat without direct contact with a flame to produce the characteristic of a baked product
- "Barbecued" on a ready-to-eat meat product cooked with seasoning
- "Basted", "Deep Basted", "Pre-basted", "Self-basting" as the case may be on basted poultry carcasses with "Graded before Basting"
- "Basted", "Deep Basted", "Pre-basted", "Self-basted" as the case may be on meat products injected with meat broth
- "Breaded" on meat products coated with batter and crumbs
- "Breast Bone Removed" on poultry carcasses with the breast bone removed
- "Cooked" or "Fully Cooked" on ready-to-eat meat products subjected to heat for a time sufficient to produce a fully cooked meat product
- "Corned" on cured meat products by adding salt with sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite, sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate, or any combination of them
- "Dried", "Dry" or "Semi-dry" on ready-to-eat meat products that have been dehydrated
- "Freeze-dried" on meat products dehydrated by freeze-drying
- "Jellied" on meat products containing a gelling agent
- "Jellied" when a gelling agent has been added to a prepared meat or prepared meat by-product
- "Jellied" when a gelling agent has been added to hermetically sealed packages of poultry
- "May Contain Kidneys" on poultry carcass that may contain kidneys or the kidneys have not been removed
- "May Have Parts Missing" on poultry carcasses graded Canada Utility
- "Oven Roasted" on edible meat products subject to dry heat without direct contact with a flame to produce the characteristic of a roasted meat product
- "Rolled" on boned, rolled and tied meat products
- "Semi-boneless" on meat products at least 45% deboned
- "Shankless" on meat products where the foreleg has the forelimb removed at the elbow joint; where the hind leg has the hind limb removed at the knee joint
- "Smoked" on smoked meat products
- "Stuffed" on stuffed poultry carcasses with "Graded before Stuffing"
- "Stuffed" or "Stuffed with" on stuffed meat products
- "With Giblets" on poultry carcasses with giblets
- "With Giblets" on meat products that contains a liver, heart and/or gizzard
- "With Natural Juices" on meat products packaged with the cooking juices
Processed egg products
- "Pan-dried" on pan-dried egg white or albumen
- "Product of Turkey Eggs and Chicken Eggs" on processed turkey and chicken egg products
- "Product of Turkey Eggs" on processed turkey egg products
- "Spray-dried" on spray-dried egg white or albumen
Processed fruit or vegetable products
- "Asparagus Style" or "Whole Vertical Pack" on frozen or hermetically sealed packages of whole green or wax beans that are packaged parallel to the sides of a package and are substantially equal in length
- "A Water Extract of Dried Prunes" on prune nectar
- "Brine Pack", "Packed in Brine" or "in Brine" on hermetically sealed packages of corn in a water and salt solution
- "Clingstone" on hermetically sealed packages of peaches with stones or pits that adhere to the flesh
- "Cream Style" on hermetically sealed packages of cream corn
- "Cultivated" on frozen cultivated blueberries
- "Cut" on frozen or hermetically sealed packages of green or wax beans that were cut transversely between 19 and 51 mm in length
- Declaration of the addition of pectin or pectinous preparation on jams
- "Freestone" on hermetically sealed packages of peaches with flesh that separates readily from the stones or pits
- "French Cut" or "French Style" on frozen or hermetically sealed green or wax beans that are sliced lengthwise
- "Heavy Pack" on packages of processed fruit or vegetable products in which the minimum amount of water required for proper processing of the product is used
- "In water" on processed fruit or vegetable products packaged in water
- "I.Q.F" (individually quick frozen) on blueberries that have been frozen using this method
- "Non-Free Flowing" on frozen blueberries
- "Packed in Liquid" on hermetically sealed packages of corn in liquid
- "Pitted" on frozen sweet cherries with pits removed
- "Seville", "Bitter" or "Extra Bitter" on orange marmalade with Seville or other bitter varieties of oranges
- "Solid Pack" on packages containing fruits or vegetables that have been partially or wholly precooked before processing
- The total percentage of sweetening ingredients added to prepackaged frozen fruits
- "Tips Removed" or "Without Tips" on cut asparagus without tips
- "Unpitted" on frozen sweet cherries with pits
- "Vacuum Pack" or "Vacuum Packed" on hermetically sealed packages of corn with a minimum amount of liquid and in which a vacuum is created mechanically
- "Vitamin C Added" or "Vitaminized" apple juice, mixed vegetable juice, tomato juice cocktail, prune nectar, apricot nectar, grape juice or grape juice from concentrate with ascorbic acid added to increase the Vitamin C content
- "Whole" on frozen or hermetically sealed packages of green or wax beans not arranged in any definite position
- "Wild" on wild frozen blueberries
Water
- "Carbonated" when carbon dioxide is added to water
- "Carbonated" when carbon dioxide is added to water represented as mineral or spring water
- Declaration of the addition of fluoride or ozone in mineral or spring water
- Declaration of treatment water has undergone, if it is not mineral or spring water
- "Demineralized" when content of minerals is reduced in water
- "Distilled" when water is vaporized and condensed
Other changes
Other amendments to the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) have been included in this regulatory package for publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II. These amendments would clarify that licensing provisions of the SFCR do not apply to the preparation of food by restaurants and similar enterprises.
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