Not-for-profit organisation changing the Canadian food protection landscape
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, July 2, 2015 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - Safe Food Canada - The Learning Partnership (SFC), a not-for-profit organisation made up of leaders from the Canadian food industry, government regulatory bodies and academia all dedicated to the creation and coordination of food protection learning partnerships, receives $850,000 in federal funding.
This Tuesday, Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Streetsville Brad Butt announced this support on behalf of the Honorable Minister Rona Ambrose, from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Federal Assistance Program (FAP). Having invested over $517 million between 2008 and 2013 towards food safety initiatives, the Canadian Government again is signalling that food protection is top priority.
Through learning partnerships, SFC aims to develop and deliver a competency-based food protection learning framework so that all food businesses and regulatory authorities can ensure that learning and training that pertain to food protection will be consistent and certified.
Dr. Michael Trevan, the Chair of Safe Food Canada and Head of Department of Food Science at the University of Manitoba, confirms that the idea of a common competency-based learning system has been discussed for years now and that the support from federal funding will surely pave the way for the food industry to step up and do the same.
Brian Sterling , current Managing Director of the Global Food Traceability Center, will take his position as President and CEO for Safe Food Canada on August 1, 2015. Mr. Sterling says:
"For years, industry and regulators in Canada have been expending significant time and money on a wide range of disparate learning programs and events. This has led to duplication and increased costs for both public and private organisations. Safe Food Canada will be a public-private partnership with the vision and means to become the focal point for creating a comprehensive, competency-based food protection learning system that will benefit all Canadians."
Taking a closer look at food safety and corporate culture, a peer-reviewed article was published last year by the Royal Society for Public Health. In her article, co-author Lone Jespersen who sits on the SFC Board of Directors and is Director of Food Safety Strategy at Maple Leaf Foods, upholds the following:
"We have to become successful in reducing and ultimately eradicating food borne illness in the food supply and can only do so if we are able to effectively focus on the most critical food safety risks, at the right points in the supply chain, with the necessary level of technical and social rigour."
SFC works with its US counterpart, the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI). Together, they forge a Canada-American collaboration to exchange best practices and frameworks that will harmoniously advance food protection and align with global standards.
Along with the funding announcement, Safe Food Canada announces the official launch of their new website. Learn more at: www.safefoodcanada.com.
Twitter : @SafeFoodCanadaFacebook : https://www.facebook.com/SafeFoodCanada
SOURCE Safe Food Canada (SFC-TLP)
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