The recent E. coli outbreaks associated with romaine lettuce have been a harsh reminder of how important and essential it is to maintain effective product traceability in our industry.
And it so happens that the new Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) require companies to identify and track produce items one step back and one step forward on the supply chain.
You are required to prepare and keep documents to:
- Identify the fresh fruit or vegetable
The documents indicate the:
- common name of the fresh fruit or vegetable that you provide
- lot code or other unique identifier to allow for the fresh fruit or vegetable to be traced
- name and principal place of business where you grow or harvest the fresh fruit or vegetable or name and principal place of business for whom you grow or harvest the fresh fruit or vegetable
- Trace the fresh fruit or vegetable one step forward
If you provide the fresh fruit or vegetable to someone else, except to a consumer at retail, the documents indicate the:
- name and address of the person to whom you provide the fresh fruit or vegetable
- date you provide the fresh fruit or vegetable
For more information…
- For traceability requirements that apply to your own operations or activities, please refer to the Traceability interactive tool
- For deadlines and timetables that apply to you, please refer to the
Timetable: Fresh fruit or vegetables
Thank you for helping make the fresh produce industry a healthier, safer, a more prosperous sector by complying with these regulations.
