A Guide to Identifying Food Products Affected by the Proposed Imported Food Sector Product Regulations
Step A: Initial Analysis
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Initial Screening Tool
In general, an Imported Food Sector (IFS) product:
- meets the definition of 'agricultural product' in the Canada Agricultural Products Act (CAPA);
- is intended as food for human consumption or as an ingredient in food;
- originated in a country other than Canada; and
- is not regulated under the following federal food commodity-specific legislation:
- The Meat Inspection Act and Regulations
- The Fish Inspection Act and Regulations
- The following regulations under the CAPA:
- Dairy Products Regulations
- Egg Regulations
- Processed Egg Regulations
- Honey Regulations
- Maple Products Regulations
- Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Regulations
- Processed Products Regulations
An 'agricultural product' is defined in the CAPA as:
- an animal, a plant or an animal or plant product, or
- a product, including any food or drink, wholly or partly derived from an animal or a plant.
Decision Tree 1 uses general questions to determine whether a food product is, or may be, an IFS product.
If the result of Decision Tree 1 is that the food product may be an IFS product, further analysis using one of the food commodity-specific decision trees is required.
Decision Tree 1: Initial IFS Product Screening Tool
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Description for Decision Tree 1: Initial Imported Food Sector Product Screening Tool
This diagram is a decision tree. The decision tree uses yes/no questions to help you determine if a given product is an Imported Food Sector product under the proposed Imported Food Sector Product Regulations.
This diagram consists of eleven questions. It will help you identify if the product is, or is not, an Imported Food Sector product, or it will direct you to a commodity-specific decision tree for additional analysis.
- Question 1. Is the product a) an animal or plant product, or b) a product, including any food or drink, wholly or partly derived from an animal or plant? If yes, proceed to Question 2. If no, it is not an Imported Food Sector product. Examples of products that are not derived from a plant or animal includes bottled water, synthetic colours and vitamins, minerals and salts.
- Question 2. Is the product intended as food for human consumption or as an ingredient in food? If yes, proceed to Question 3. If no, it is not an Imported Food Sector product. Products that are not intended for consumption by humans include pet foods, feed ingredients, and pharmaceutical ingredients.
- Question 3. Did the product originate in a country other than Canada? If yes, proceed to Question 4. If no, it is not an Imported Food Sector product.
- Question 4. Does the product contain fish or marine products? If no, proceed to Question 5. If yes, proceed to Decision Tree 2 for further analysis of fish, seafood and aquatic products.
- Question 5. Does the product contain meat or meat products? If no, proceed to Question 6. If yes, proceed to Decision Tree 3 for further analysis of animal and meat products.
- Question 6. Is the product an egg, or does it contain at least 50 per cent egg? If no, proceed to Question 7. If yes, proceed to Decision Tree 4 for further analysis of egg and egg products.
- Question 7. Does the product contain dairy products? If no, proceed to Question 8. If yes, proceed to Decision Tree 5 for further analysis of dairy products.
- Question 8. Is the product composed of 100 per cent honey? This means that the product contains only honey, and does not contain any pollen, honeycomb, or other ingredients. If no, proceed to Question 9. If yes, it is not an Imported Food Sector product.
- Question 9. Is the product wholly derived from maple sap? If no, proceed to Question 10. If yes, it is not an Imported Food Sector product.
- Question 10. Is the product a fresh fruit or vegetable? If no, proceed to Question 11. If yes, proceed to Decision Tree 6 for further analysis of fresh fruit and vegetable products.
- Question 11. Is the product a processed fruit or vegetable? If no, it is an Imported Food Sector product. If yes, proceed to Decision Tree 7 for further analysis of processed fruit and vegetable products.
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