CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY
Notes to the Financial Statements
Year ended March 31, 2011
1. Authority and Purposes
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (the "Agency") was established, effective April 1, 1997, under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act. The Act consolidates all federally mandated food and fish inspection services and federal animal and plant health activities into a single agency.
The Agency is a departmental corporation named in Schedule II to the Financial Administration Act and reports to Parliament through the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
The mandate of the Agency is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of federal inspection and related services for food, animals and plants. The objectives of the Agency are to contribute to a safe food supply and accurate product information; to contribute to the continuing health of animals and plants; and to facilitate trade in food, animals, plants, and related products.
In delivering its mandate, the Agency operates under the following 3 strategic outcomes supported by internal services:
- a) Strategic Outcome 1: Public health risks associated with the food supply and transmission of animal diseases to humans are minimized and managed.
As a contributor to the Government of Canada's integrated approach to population health, the Agency, in collaboration with federal partners and provincial, territorial and municipal governments, protects Canadians from preventable health risks related to unsafe food.
- b) Strategic Outcome 2: A safe sustainable plant and animal resource base.
The Agency's programming is aimed at protecting Canada's crops, forests, livestock, and aquatic animals from regulated pests and diseases; preventing the introduction of undesirable or dangerous substances into human food or the environment through animal and plant production systems; and assessing the environmental sustainability and impact on biodiversity of new products derived through enabling technologies such as biotechnology.
- c) Strategic Outcome 3: Contributes to consumer protection and market access based on the application of science and standards.The Agency's programming contributes to securing the conditions needed for consumer protection (as it relates to food and certain agricultural products) and for a prosperous Canadian agri-food sector that is able to access global markets. The Agency aims to verify that information provided to Canadian consumers through labels and advertising is truthful and not misleading. The Agency also works to facilitate continued and new market access for Canadian agriculture and agri-food products by verifying that Canadian products meet Canadian regulations and international standards, thereby enabling these products to enter the domestic and international marketplace in the most effective and efficient manner possible.