QUALITY & FOOD SAFETY RESOURCES
Perennia implements and delivers the Agri-Food Accelerator Program through funding under the federal-provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership. As part of this program under the Safe4Market initiative, our Quality and Food Safety specialists develop fact sheets, videos, and other educational material as well as curate links to approved information sources. Nova Scotia based agriculture producers and agri-food and beverage processors may use these resources to advance their skills for safe and successful food production and processing operations.
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BOOKLET
SAFE FOOD FOR CANADIANS, GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES GUIDE BOOKLET 2020/21 Edition (PDF)
DOWNLOADABLE FORMS
- All forms (in one Excel file)
- Letter of Commitment
- Maintenance and Reassessment Record
- Exterior & Interior Inspection
- Agronomic Inputs
- Receiving Record
- Sanitation Record
- PM & Calibration
- Pest Control Record
- Harvest Record
- Packing Record
- Temperature Record
- Shipping Record
- Farm Gate Sales
- Visitor Record
- Personnel Training Record
- Labelling Checklist
- CAR, Preventative Action Report
- Consumer Complaint Record
- Recall Management Record
- Mock Recall Record
- Change Log
Perennia’s Quality and Food Safety team have received inquiries from local food production operations looking for reassurance that they are doing everything they can to protect their employees and customers. If you are following the provincial and federal guidelines but want to do more please refer to the resources on the Food Safety during Covid-19 page.
- Responding to a Non-Compliance – 8 Steps to a Successful Deviation Resolution
- Food Defense
- Continuous Improvement Plan
- Compressed Air Monitoring
- Microgreens – Food Safety Considerations for Producing and Packaging
- Environmental Monitoring
- Verification Vs. Validation
- How to Complete a Effective Risk Assessment
- Pre-Operational Inspections
- Handling Customer Complaints
- Cleaning and Sanitizing
- Employee Training Tips
- Internal Audit
- How to Conduct an Effective Root Cause Analysis
- How to Conduct a Basic Shelf-Life Study
- The Importance of Choosing the Right Supplier
- Safe Food for Canadians – What You Need to Know
- Food Safety Acronym Quick Reference Guide
- Food Safety Culture – The Secret to Continued Food Safety Success
- Effective Pest Control
- How to Manage an Inspection
- Recall and Traceability – Are you prepared?
- Document Control and Procedure Writing
- Preparing for an Audit
- Water Quality – What’s in Your Water?
- New Farmers and Food Safety
- What Food Safety Scheme is Right for My Company
- Canada and US Regulation Update
- 8 x 10 Hand Wash Sign – English, French, Spanish
ACRONYM LINKS
SAFE FOOD FOR CANADIANS (SFCR)
- CFIA Email Notification Subscription Self-Service
- A Handbook for Food Businesses (SFCR)
- Food-specific Requirements
- SFCR Timelines
- SFCR Home Page
- Licensing
- CFIA’s Licensing Interactive Tool
- Before you sign up for My CFIA
- My CFIA Online Service
- Requesting a SFC license video
- SFCR Maintenance and operation of establishment checklist (gap assessment)
- The Food Safety Enhancement Program approach to a Preventive Control Plan
- The Quality Management Program (QMP) approach to a Preventive Control Plan
- Food Imports
- Food Exports
- Checklist for Food Exporters
- Preventive Controls
- CFIA’s Preventive Control Plan (PCP) Interactive Tool
- Preventive Control Plan
- CFIA’s Traceability Interactive Tool
- Traceability Requirements
- Fact Sheet: Traceability (SFCR)
- Food labelling for industry
- Labelling, Standards of Identity, and Grades
- Labelling Requirements Checklist
- Documents incorporated by reference – Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (Canadian Grade Compendium, Canadian Standards of Identity, etc.)
- SFCR Videos
CANADIAN FOOD LABELLING
Regulations
- Food and Drug Regulations – Part B: Foods
- Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
- Weight and Measures Regulations
Definitions
- Prepackaged vs. Consumer Prepackaged
- Principal Display Surface (PDS) vs. Principal Display Panel (PDP)
- Available Display Surface (ADS)
Common Name
Net Quantity
- CFIA Net Quantity Labelling Guidance
- Units of Measurement for the Net Quantity Declaration of Certain Foods
List of Ingredients and Allergen Labelling
- CFIA List of Ingredients and Allergen Labelling Guidance
- Mandatory common and collective names of ingredients and components (Section B.01.010(3)(a) & (b) of FDR)
- Ingredients that do not require component declaration (Section B.01.009 (1) & (2) of FDR)
Ingredients that must always be declared (Section B.01.009 (3) & (4) of FDR) - Annex 1: Examples of Sugars-based ingredients that require grouping
- Annex 2: Examples of ingredients for which grouping with sugars is not required
- Common Name Labelling for Allergens, Gluten Sources and Sulphites (Section B.01.010.1- B.01.010.2)
- CFIA’s Food Additives Labelling Guidance
- Processing aids that are not required to be declared on the list of ingredients
- List of permitted colouring agents
Domicile
Date Markings and Storage Instructions
Nutrition Labelling
- CFIA’s Nutrition Labelling Guidance
- Health Canada’s Directory of Nutrition Facts Table Formats
- CFIA’s Steps for Choosing a Nutrition Facts Table
- Health Canada’s Table of Reference Amounts for Food
- Health Canada’s Table of Daily Values
- CFIA’s Specific Nutrient Content Claim Requirements
- CFIA’s Rounding and Manner of Expression for Nutrition Facts Table Core Information & Additional Nutrition Information
Bilingual Labelling
Sweetener and Food Additive Labelling
Country of Origin
Grades
Irradiation
FOOD DEFENSE AND FOOD FRAUD
- FDA’s Food Defense Plan Builder 2.0
- FDA’s Food Defense Mitigation Strategies Database
- FDA’s Guidance for Industry: Mitigation Strategies to Protect Against Intentional Adulteration
- FDA’s Overview of the Carver Plus Shock Method for Food Sector Vulnerability Assessments
- USDA’s Food Defense Overview
- European Commission’s Food Adulteration Incidents Registry (FAIR)
- European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) Portal
IMPORTING AND EXPORTING
Importing
- Canada Revenue Agency – Business Registration Online
- Canada Border Services Agency Guide to Importing Commercial Goods into Canada
- Automated Import Reference System (AIRS)
- AIRS Tutorial
- Food Imports
- US FDA Import Alerts
- US FDA Import Refusals
Exporting
FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS
- Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)
- BRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standard )
- Safe Quality Food (SQF)
- Canada GAP (Good Agricultural Practices)
- Global GAP
- IFS (International Featured Standard)
- FSSC (Food Safety System Certification) 22000
- NSF Certification Options
HACCP – HAZARD ANALYSIS
- HACCP System Documentation (Includes Forms 1-11)
- Reference Database for Hazard Identification
- Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook
NOVA SCOTIA PROVINCIAL INFO
- Food Protection Publications and Factsheets
- NS Business Navigators
- NS Food Safety Laws and Requirements Overview
- Nova Scotia Health Protection Act
- NS Food Safety Regulations
- Nova Scotia Meat Inspection Regulations
- Nova Scotia Dairy Industry Act
- NS Food Retail and Food Services Code
- Food Safety Guidelines for Public Markets
- Nova Scotia Food Hygiene (Handling) Courses
- NS Food Protection Fact Sheets and Publications
- CFIA Code of Practice for the Production and Distribution of Unpasteurized Apple and Other Fruit Juice/Cider in Canada
- CFIA General Principles of Food Hygiene, Composition and Labelling
ALLERGENS AND FOOD ADDITIVES
- Food Allergies and Intolerances Overview
- Food Additives Overview
- Health Canada’s Maximum Level of Chemical Contaminants
- Food Safety Magazine eBook: Developing an Effective Allergen Management Plan
WATER QUALITY
FOOD RECALL NOTIFICATIONS
SUPPLIES FOR FOOD FACILITIES
- Color-coded cleaning tools
- Metal detectable items
- Hairnets, beard nets
- Hairnets, beard nets
- Uniforms
- Gloves
STAINLESS STEEL GRADES
INDUSTRY SUPPORT GUIDES
FOOD SAFETY EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL
- IFSQN Food Safety Friday Webinars
- Food Safety Magazine
- Food Quality and Safety Webinars
- Safe Food Alliance’s ‘Safe Food Spotlight’
LABORATORIES
- Nova West Laboratory (Accredited)
- PEI Bio Food Tech (Accredited)
- RPC (Accredited)
To receive a hard copy of these booklets, please contact Clarissa at cmcisaac@perennia.ca.
PERENNIA'S QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY TEAM
Quality and Food Safety Specialist
Pam Laffin
Cell: 902-679-8678
plaffin@perennia.ca
Quality and Food Safety Specialist
Clarissa McIsaac
Office: 902-896-0277 ext. 235
Cell: 902-890-0544
cmcisaac@perennia.ca
Quality and Food Safety Specialist
Cheryl Andrews
candrews@perennia.ca
Food Safety Regulatory Specialist
Rick Kane
Office: 902-678-7722 (EXT 258)
Cell: 902-300-3710
rkane@perennia.ca
Co-Manager, Quality And Food Safety
Elaine Grant
Office: 902-896-0277 (EXT 230)
Cell: 902-956-3376
egrant@perennia.ca
Co-Manager, Quality And Food Safety
Shelly MacDonald
Cell: 902-210-8115
smacdonald@perennia.ca
CONACT PERENNIA'S QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY TEAM
We’re always looking for feedback. If you can’t find what you are looking for please reach out to Perennia’s Quality and Food Safety team at foodsafety@perennia.ca
