Companies that break federal food safety rules will face penalties under CIFA’s new Administrative Monetary Penalties

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) of up to $15,000 can now be issued for violations by food businesses that threaten food safety and market access for Canadian goods.

AMPs are an additional option CFIA can use to address violations under federal regulations. By expanding the use of AMPs across all food sectors, the CFIA will now have a consistent and comprehensive set of tools to enforce compliance with the requirements for all food in Canada.

The amendments to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations (AAAMPR) were published today in Canada Gazette Part II and are now in force. These apply to both businesses and individuals.

The introduction of AMPs for all food sectors follows the January 2019 coming into force of the Safe Food for Canadians Act along with the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, which consolidated 14 regulations into a single set of consistent requirements for all food businesses.