The Government of Canada is helping the packaging industry strengthen its food safety systems across the country. Member of Parliament Bob Dechert (Mississauga-Erindale) announced an investment of $569,000 for the Packaging Association of Canada, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, as the Association held their Packaging Food Safety Summit.
“Canadian families can be confident in food produced by farmers. We’re investing in the safety of the entire value chain by supporting the packaging industry as they deliver these safe, high quality foods to our grocery cart,” said MP Dechert. “This investment will help the Packaging Association of Canada’s remain on the cutting edge of safe food handling and packaging practices.”
The Packaging Association of Canada will use this investment to further develop their PACsecure food safety program, which outlines food safety standards for the packaging industry. The funding will be used to create additional on-line training programs and materials, further develop the audit process, and conduct recall and traceability field tests and workshops. The Association will continue to promote PACsecure to the packaging industry through tradeshows and speaking engagements.
“The assistance we have received from the Government of Canada – both financial and technical – has been invaluable in providing the Canadian packaging industry with the most comprehensive food safety standards for packaging materials anywhere in the world,” said Larry Dworkin, Director of Government Relations for the Packaging Association. “Most importantly, our industry is embracing these standards to ensure that it can demonstrate its due diligence in providing the safest packaging to Canadians as well as to our customers in other countries.”
This federal Growing Forward investment is being made through the Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative (CIFSI). The Government of Canada is helping organizations develop national, government-recognized on-farm and/or post-farm Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) or HACCP-based food safety systems. To find out more about this initiative, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/cifsi.
