The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a notice on the regulatory requirements for honey in Canada regarding the importation, distribution and sale of honey.
Honey sold in Canada must comply with the Food and Drugs Act (FDA), the Food and Drugs Regulations (FDR), the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR).
As per the requirements, all food sold in Canada must be safe for consumption and truthfully represented. Imported or inter-provincially traded products that are represented or sold as honey are also subject to the federal standard for honey in section B.18.025 of the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR).
Under the SFCR, licence holders must maintain a written preventive control plan. This preventive control plan must include measures to ensure the safety of the food as well as ensuring that the food is not represented in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive. Measures must also be in place to ensure compliance with prescribed compositional standards.
CFIA offers guidance to industry on labelling requirements for honey products and on preparing a Preventive Control Plan.
Industry is reminded that failure to comply with the requirements with respect to the importation, distribution, or sale of honey will be considered a potential contravention of the FDA and the SFCA. This may result to suspension or cancellation of SFCR licence and issuance of AMPS penalties.
Learn more on the Canadian Standards, Grades, preventive controls and other regulatory requirements for honey.