Canada tackles label bureaucracy

The Canadian government has eliminated mandatory pre-market registration of meat labels in a bit to cut bureaucracy for the meat processing industry.

Announcing the decision, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said that the repeal of the label requirement was made in response to recommendations under the Canada’s Red Tape Reduction initiative. It added that changes, which are effective immediately, would create a “level playing field”, since other food industry sectors are not required to register labels before they enter the market.

However, it added that the industry would remain responsible for ensuring that labels are compliant with Canadian laws. “When the CFIA becomes aware of issues of non-compliance, it will continue to follow up and determine the appropriate course of action,” it said.