进口食品安检: CFIA新规定如何影响消费者(五)

CFIA提议实施新规以加强对从婴儿配方奶到饮料等大量非鱼类进口食品的监管。Bob Mok在本文中探讨对食品进口商提出新的许可证要求。

The CFIA is proposing new regulations to improve oversight on imported non-fish food items – from infant formula to beverages. Bob Mok examines the proposed licensing requirements for food importers.

读者欲参照前文可点击:
For the previous article in this series, please visit:
http://chinesenewsgroup.com/news/41438
http://chinesenewsgroup.com/news/41490
http://chinesenewsgroup.com/news/41638
http://chinesenewsgroup.com/news/42257

 

加拿大食品检验局(CFIA)提议实施新的“进口食品部门产品管理条例”，以加强对非联邦注册类（NFRS）进口食品的监管。提议的监管新规将：

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is proposing “Imported Food Sector Product Regulations” to improve oversight of imported food products in the Non-Federally Registered Sector (NFRS). This regulatory proposal would:


1）加强进口食品安全的进口商问责制；
1) Strengthen the accountability of food importers for the safety of their products;

2）使加拿大食品检验局更好地识别和吸引进口商；
2) Allow the CFIA to better identify and engage importers; and

3）提高进口商快速识别、反应以及向加拿大食品检验局报告潜在的不安全进口食品的能力。
3) Improve importers' ability to quickly identify, respond to and advise the CFIA of potentially unsafe imported food.

在本系列文章的前面几篇中，我们已经详细介绍了一些潜在的改革措施。在经过进一步探讨后，显而易见的是加拿大食品检验局并不会实施强制性的检测程序，而是会将重点放在控制系统、记录保存和召回程序上。

We have identified some of the potential changes in details in our earlier articles in this series. Upon further review, it is evident that CFIA will not implement a mandatory inspection program. Rather, it will focus on Control systems, records retention, and recall procedures.


按照提议的新规，进口商必需拥有加拿大食品检验局发放的许可证。同时新规还建议收取进口许可证使用费。该项收费将根据《加拿大食品检验局法》通过CFIA Fees Notice执行。

Under the proposal, importers would be required to have a licence from the CFIA. A user fee is proposed for the import licence. The fee would be administered through the CFIA Fees Notice under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act.


为了获得许可，进口商必须制定、实施以及维持书面的预防性食品安全控制计划。该计划将概述进口商为确保其产品安全并符合加拿大法规而必须采取的行动和措施。

In order to be licensed, importers would have to develop, implement and maintain a written Preventive Food Safety Control Plan. The plan would outline the actions and measures that the importer takes to make sure their food is safe and complies with Canadian legislation.


此外，进口商还必须：
In addition, the importer would have to：

1）保存加拿大的地址记录；
1)Maintain records at an address in Canada

2）拥有书面的召回计划；
2)Have a written recall plan

3）如果进口商发现某种产品可能会对消费者造成危害，需在24小时内通知加拿大食品检验局。
3)Notify the CFIA within 24 hours if they become aware that a product poses a hazard to consumers

可能会受到提议新规影响，并有可能要为有效期两年的许可证支付$259元（2013/14财年）使用费的各类进口业务包括：食品进口商、零售商、经纪商、分销商、国内一些食品制造和加工企业，以及航运服务。

The different types of importing businesses that may be affected by the proposed regulations and that may require a proposed user fee of $259.00 (fiscal year 2013/14) for a licence which is valid for two years: Food importers, retailers, brokers, distributors, some domestic food manufacturers and processors, and shipping services.


进口许可证将由加拿大食品检验局，而不是加拿大边境服务局发放。按照新规要求，进口商在进口进口食品部门(IFS)产品之前必需先拥有许可证。为了便于IFS产品在边境清关，进口商需要提供有效的IFS进口许可证号码。那些没有有效许可证的进口商将无法进口IFS产品到加拿大，并需要向加拿大食品检验局申请进口许可证。

Licences will be issued by the CFIA and not the Canada Border Services Agency. Importers will be required to hold a licence prior to importing Imported Food Sector (IFS) products. In order for an IFS product to clear customs at the border, importers will have to provide a valid IFS import licence number. Those without a valid licence will not be able to import IFS products into Canada and will be referred to the CFIA to apply for a licence.


在进口商完成申请程序并拿到许可费缴费证明后，许可证将会自动发放，但在两年有效期满后进口商还需申请更新。新规建议的10天服务标准是世界贸易组织(WTO)对电子许可证发放的最低标准要求。

The licence will be issued automatically based on completion of the application and confirmation of payment of the licensing fee, and will be valid for two years before renewal is required. The proposed 10-day service standard is a minimum standard requirement imposed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) for electronic licensing.


提议的新规将适用于烘焙产品、饮料、咖啡和茶、糖果/巧克力、油脂、谷物、面包和谷类食品、婴儿配方奶、果汁、代餐、减肥食品、休闲食品、香料和调味品等产品。

The proposed regulations would apply to products such as: Bakery products, beverages, coffee and tea, confectionery/chocolate, fats and oils, grains, breads and cereals, infant formula, juices, meal replacements and formulated liquid diets, snack foods, spices and seasonings.


在咨询过程中，加拿大食品检验局并没有很明确地说明其检测程序，因此只能猜测其可能会如前文所述，仿效其鱼类进口许可证所使用的模式实施检测程序，但新规可能不会那么严格。

Throughout the consultation process, CFIA was not very explicit about their inspection program. One can only surmise that it is following the model it is using in the Fish Import License program as described earlier, albeit less stringent.


和鱼类进口许可证一样，加拿大食品检验局在向进口商发放许可证之前并不会检验其是否满足持证要求。食品检验局将会使用风险为本的方法去检验进口商是否符合条件，比如其将会考虑进口食品的风险以及进口商的合规记录。

Just like the Fish Import License, CFIA will not verify if licence conditions have been met before a licence is issued to an importer. CFIA would apply a risk-based approach to verify compliance with conditions. The approach would, for example, consider the risk of the imported food and the compliance history of the importer.


有不少人担心要求进口商在进口产品时，而不是在加国销售产品之前就贴上合格标签，将会严重影响现行的重新贴标举措。目前这一提议已被搁置，以便加拿大食品检验局进行进一步评估。

There were concerns that requiring compliant labels at the time of import instead of prior to sale in Canada will have a significant impact on current re-labelling practices. This item was deferred to further evaluations by CFIA.


鉴于零售商及消费者目前的采购和储存方式有可能导致产品被保存更长时间，加拿大食品检验局认为记录保存至关重要。并且新规已就记录保存期限提出建议（三年或是产品到期日之后一年）。

For record retentions, CFIA feels that it is important to maintain records for several years as the current purchasing and storing practices of retailers and consumers may result in products being kept for extended periods of time. A retention period (the longer of 3 years or one year after the expiry date of the product) is proposed.


目前，相关的公众咨询已经结束，但新规尚未最终确定。加拿大食品检验局似乎已经落后于原定计划。

At this time, public consultations are closed and the new regulations are not finalized. It would seem that CFIA is currently running behind schedule.


在新规实施后，进口商将必需非常努力地进行调整适应，并设法在新许可证要求的附加成本、高效率和食品安全之间取得平衡。

When the new regulation is issued, importers will need to work very hard at adjusting to them and try to balance between addition costs, efficiency, and food safety under their new licenses.