Newsletter – July 14 2025

Advocacy

Get Ready for CFIA Inspections
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has just posted a reminder that any Safe Food for Canadians Licence holder must meet food safety requirements in order to avoid suspension or revocation of the licence.  See the Notice to Industry below.
Some small importers may not be aware of their obligations whether or not they qualify for an exemption from a written food safety program.  Whether you manufacture or import – let us help you be ready for your CFIA inspection. Let us help you understand how to meet Canada’s food safety requirements.   Contact us:
Preventive Controls & Compliance Inc.
[email protected]
https://compliancecontrols.ca

Notice to industry: Update – CFIA inspections of manufactured foods
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting inspections of Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence holders that prepare manufactured foods. These inspections are being conducted to verify that licence holders are meeting the applicable requirements under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR).

Regulatory requirements
If you hold an SFC licence, you are responsible for following the requirements set out in the SFCR. This includes:

Failing to meet these obligations could result in enforcement actions, including suspension or cancellation of your licence.

Guidance on preventive controls
For more information to help you determine whether you need a PCP and what must be included, refer to CFIA guidance on: Preventive controls and preventive control plan.
Being prepared for inspection and ensuring compliance with SFCR requirements helps to protect public health and maintain trust in Canada’s food system.

Federal

Demand from ‘buy Canadian’ movement pushes Purdys Chocolatier to move into grocer Save-On-Foods – Food In CanadaFood In Canada
Purdys Chocolatier says the buy Canadian movement has generated so much demand for its products that it decided to sell them outside its own stores for the first time in its 118-year-old history.

Experts work to improve Canada’s heat and health risk mapping | Standards Council of Canada
As Canada faces more frequent and intense extreme heat events, the need for coordinated public health and infrastructure responses is growing. Recent events, like the June–July 2021 heat wave in Southern British Columbia that resulted in 619 deaths underscore the urgency. Projections show, in a world with high levels of greenhouse gas emissions and no adaptation action, that Canada could experience as many as 70,000 excess heat-related deaths over a 50-year period between 2030 and 2080 .

Fall 2025 import requirements for romaine lettuce from the United States
This message is to provide advance notice to importers of fresh fruits and vegetables that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be implementing temporary import conditions for U.S. romaine lettuce again this fall 2025. This temporary measure is intended to mitigate the higher risk of E. coli O157 contamination of romaine lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley, California, during the fall months. This same measure has been implemented in fall 2020 to 2024.
From September 25 to December 17, 2025, importers of romaine lettuce and/or salad mixes containing romaine lettuce will be required to comply with temporary Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence conditions that are in addition to existing import requirements and preventive control plan requirements. During this period, the CFIA will require importers to submit attestation forms and Certificates of Analysis to confirm that the romaine lettuce does not contain detectable levels of E. coli O157:H7 if the lettuce was grown in the Salinas Valley. A Proof of Origin will be required for U.S. romaine lettuce products that are from areas outside of the Salinas Valley.
The complete information will be published on the CFIA website and communicated to fresh fruit and vegetable importers through MyCFIA messaging in the coming weeks, well in advance of the
implementation date.

TSB releases 2024 annual transportation occurrence statistics – Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Today, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its final annual statistical summaries for 2024 on transportation occurrences across the air, marine, pipeline, and rail sectors. Tracking occurrence statistics is critical for the TSB to identify trends and emerging safety risks within the different sectors.


Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program

• Annual Update of the Wage Thresholds

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is sharing information on the annual update of the wage thresholds by province and territory as part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program 
(TFW Program). 

The updated wage thresholds by province and territory for 2025 are available on the TFW Program website and took effect on June 27, 2025.  

As of June 27, 2025, employers must submit their Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application under the appropriate stream using the updated wage threshold and ensure that they comply with the requirements specific to the applicable program stream. Employers should also note that the LMIA Online portal was also updated on June 27, 2025. 
The TFW Program uses wage data from the Labour Force Survey conducted by Statistics Canada to establish wage thresholds by province and territory. The wage threshold by province and territory table is updated once a year. 

The wage threshold is used to determine whether an LMIA application should be processed under the low-wage or high-wage stream of the TFW Program. 

Employers must submit an LMIA application under the low-wage stream if the wage offered to the worker is below the provincial or territorial wage threshold. Similarly, an application must be made under the high-wage stream if the wage offered is equal to or above the threshold. 

As a reminder, each TFW Program stream has specific requirements and responsibilities for employers, such as recruitment efforts, employment duration and the provision of housing and transportation. These requirements are designed to address the labour market impacts of hiring temporary foreign workers in certain occupations and industries. 

You are encouraged to share this communication throughout your respective networks, 
and with any colleagues or partners who may need to be aware of this information. 

If you have questions on the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.   

Government of Canada announces support for over 9,700 leading researchers and projects nationwide – Canada.ca
Investing in Canadian research is critical to building a strong Canada and driving our success in the 21st century. Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced over $1.3 billion in funding to support over 9,700 researchers and research projects across Canada.

Provincial

Canada Invests in Carbon Capture and Storage in Alberta – Canada.ca
The Government of Canada is investing in carbon capture and clean technologies and getting more low-risk, low-cost and low-carbon Canadian energy to market while fighting climate change.
 
New program encourages growth for Prince Edward Island’s horticulture industry – Canada.ca
A new Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) program is now available to Prince Edward Island horticulture producers to help diversify crops, adapt to changing climates, and increase the supply of Island food products in markets across Canada.
 
Canada and Ontario Investing to Improve Energy Efficiency in Province’s Agri-Food Industry | Ontario Newsroom
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $3 million and launching the third intake of the Agricultural Stewardship Initiative (ASI) to help farmers implement projects to improve the energy efficiency of their farming operations. To support the province’s plan to protect Ontario, this funding will help local agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products businesses across the province enhance their competitiveness, put more money back into their pockets and keep workers on the job.

USA

USDA Monthly World Agricultural Production Report production.pdf
Monthly report on crop acreage, yield and production in major countries worldwide. Sources include reporting from FAS’s worldwide offices, official statistics of foreign governments, and analysis of economic data and satellite imagery.
 
FDA Advises Consumers Not to Inhale Nitrous Oxide Products | FDA
FDA advises consumers not to inhale nitrous oxide products from any size canisters, tanks, or chargers.
These products are marketed as both unflavored and flavored nitrous oxide canisters and are sold as a food processing propellant for whipped cream and culinary food use. Intentional misuse or inhalation of contents can lead to serious adverse health events, including death.
 
FDA Embraces Radical Transparency by Publishing Complete Response Letters | FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today published more than 200 decision letters, known as complete response letters (CRLs). The CRLs were issued in response to applications submitted to the FDA for approval of drugs or biological products between 2020 and 2024, marking a significant step in the Agency’s broader initiatives to modernize and increase transparency.
By making the CRLs available, the public now has significantly greater insight into the FDA’s decision-making and the most common deficiencies cited that sponsors must address before their application is approved.
 
In a first for fish, feds give thumbs up for lab-grown salmon | Food Safety News
Food-tech company Wildtype, based in San Francisco, has received a letter from the Food and Drug Administration saying that it has no questions about whether its cultivated salmon is “as safe as comparable foods.”
 
Honey bee invasion: A growing threat to native pollinators – Earth.com 
Feral honey bees are causing ecological concerns in Southern California by outcompeting native pollinators, according to a study in Insect Conservation and Diversity. The honey bees, which now make up 98% of bee biomass in the region, efficiently remove pollen, leaving native bees with fewer resources.

International

Study Shows Food Type Significantly Affects Listeria’s Ability to Survive Digestion, Cause Sickness | Food Safety
A study published in Science of Food and led by researchers from the University of Vienna suggests that food type can significantly influence how Listeria monocytogenes adapts, survives digestion, and infects people. Smoked fish and soft cheese were shown to be especially conducive to L. monocytogenes survival and virulence.

Hundreds of children in China suffer lead poisoning from food | Food Safety News
Authorities in China have reported more than 200 children fell sick after being given food with high levels of lead.
Health officials identified 233 students at a preschool in Gansu province had abnormal levels of lead in their blood. At least 200 children are believed to have been admitted to hospital.
State media reported that eight people had been arrested.

World leaders recognized for championing the WHO Pandemic Agreement
The World Health Organization has formally recognized the pivotal role of a number of heads of state and government in securing the adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement by the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly in May 2025.

Safety Share

Recreational water and health: Protecting your health – Canada.ca
A swim in the pool is very cool, but so is a swim in the river!
Before you go out though, check for any potential hazards in the area, such as:
•             local swimming advisories
•             strong currents
•             deep waters close to shore
Get more recreational water safety tips

Events

Webinar Registration – Zoom  July 16, 2025 at 12pm EDT
Join the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) for a 1 hour info session introducing two new programs designed to support food innovation in southern Ontario: Unpuzzling: Foodtech Ontario and the Ontario Food Technology Pilot (OFTP).

Home | Navigating the Foodservice Channel  FREE Webinar July 16, 2025 at 10:30am EDT 
Join the Government of Ontario in partnership with Flanagan Food Services on July 16th, 2025 at 10:30 am for a free webinar to learn about navigating the food service channel. During this session food and beverage businesses will learn about how to successfully sell your products through this channel.
 
Beyond the Binder: Digital Management of Food Safety Registration  July 22, 2025 3:00pm EDT
Managing food safety with pen and paper is no longer adequate in today’s digitally connected supply chain. Many food businesses are going “beyond the binder,” utilizing digital food safety management systems (FSMS) to reduce food contamination and ensure compliance.
 
Pollen Food allergy  Syndrome Webinar Registration  Free Webinar Food Allergy Canada  Wed, Aug 20, 2025  12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
When nature cross-reacts: A closer look at pollen food allergy syndrome – diagnosis, management, and treatment.