OTTAWA, Ontario – The Canadian meat industry has been subject to Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) since 2015, but now the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) can levy an AMP against food businesses found to have violated federal food safety laws.

CFIA can issue AMPs of up to $15,000 for violations by businesses across all food sectors, and this gives the agency a “consistent and comprehensive” set of tools to enforce compliance with food safety requirements for all foods in Canada. Additionally, information about AMPs issued will be published in the near future on the CFIA website.

The addition of industry wide AMPs follows the Safe Food for Canadians Act coming into force in January. Amendments to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations (AAAMPR) were published May 1 in Canada Gazette Part II and are now in force. These rules apply to both businesses and individuals.