Trimming red tape in food processing

Outdated, unclear or redundant regulations can leave businesses with less time and money to conduct business activities, scale up and create new jobs. Recognizing this, the Ontario government created the Red Tape Challenge – an online public consultation designed to help eliminate red tape and make it easier to do business in Ontario.

From August 2 to September 30, Ontario food processing businesses, industry associations and the public are invited to identify regulations that are unclear, outdated, redundant and unnecessarily costly and suggest ways to fix them. Feedback can be provided online by visiting Ontario.ca/RedTapeChallenge.

Comments received will help lessen compliance burdens, shorten response times and make it simpler for businesses to interact with government, without jeopardizing essential health and safety standards.

Because no one wants to spend time deciphering overly complex regulatory language, the Red Tape Challenge features easy-to-understand descriptions of regulations that currently affect the food processing sector.

During the automotive parts manufacturing consultation, which ended in June, participants commented on more than 230 regulatory issues. The government will publish its final report on this sector by November 30, 2016. Future consultations will focus on financial services, mining, chemical manufacturing and forestry.

The first-hand knowledge and feedback provided by Ontarians working in these industries will help the government improve regulations to better support business.

Modernizing regulations is part of Ontario’s Business Growth Initiative, which is helping to grow the economy and create jobs. The goal is to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses while protecting consumers, workers and the environment.

The food and beverage sector contributed over $12 billion to Ontario’s GDP in 2015 — the second largest share among manufacturing industries. By joining the conversation you can help the government reduce red tape and support economic growth and job creation across Ontario.

To participate, visit ontario.ca/redtapechallenge.

This article was provided by the Ontario government.