Seafood Safety Controls

To ensure that aquaculture products do not contain contaminants at levels beyond what the Government of Canada has determined to be safe, the industry must meet rigorous standards and regulations set by Health Canada and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This includes limits for chemical residues, environmental and industrial pollutants, and naturally occurring toxins. Many of these safety protocols are the same for all fish and seafood products, whether farmed or wild.

• Health Canada’s food safety website
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s fish and seafood website
• Roles and responsibilities

Quality Management Program

In addition to regularly inspecting fish and shellfish processing establishments, including the equipment used for handling, transporting, and storing fish and seafood, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires processing plants to develop and implement Quality Management Program plans. These plans include key safety controls such as:

• process flow diagrams documenting each step in the processing of fish and shellfish;
• floor plans that highlight sanitary areas and restricted zones and additional controls;
• product listings, such as raw materials, end use, shelf life, and labeling requirements;
• rapid tracking systems should a product be recalled; and
• sanitation and personnel hygiene controls.

Based on the internationally recognized principles of the “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point,” the Quality Management Program ensures potential hazards to food safety are identified in advance and controls are put in place to eliminate or reduce these hazards.

Canada pioneered the use of “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point” in seafood inspection protocols. This method of hazard analysis and prevention has now been adopted by many countries around the world, including the United States, our major seafood trading partner.

• Quality Management Program

More information:

• Shellfish food safety
• Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program