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Targeted surveys are used by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to focus its surveillance activities on areas of highest health risk. The information gained from these surveys provides support for the allocation and prioritization of the Agency’s activities to areas of greater concern. Originally started as a project under the Food Safety Action Plan (FSAP), targeted surveys have been embedded in the CFIA’s regular surveillance activities since 2013. Targeted surveys are a valuable tool for generating information on certain hazards in foods, identifying and characterizing new and emerging hazards, informing trend analysis, prompting and refining health risk assessments, highlighting potential contamination issues, as well as assessing and promoting compliance with Canadian regulations.

Targeted surveys are used by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to focus its surveillance activities on areas of highest health risk. The information gained from these surveys provides support for the allocation and prioritization of the Agency’s activities to areas of greater concern. Originally started as a project under the Food Safety Action Plan (FSAP), targeted surveys have been embedded in the CFIA’s regular surveillance activities since 2013. Targeted surveys are a valuable tool for generating information on certain hazards in foods, identifying and characterizing new and emerging hazards, informing trend analysis, prompting and refining health risk assessments, highlighting potential contamination issues, as well as assessing and promoting compliance with Canadian regulations.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted surveillance of fish products to verify the accurate representation of their common name, and whether species substitution had occurred. Samples were tested using DNA-based fish species identification (ID) testing.

Additional Information:

• CFIA's Food Fraud Annual Report 2020 to 2021 report
• CFIA's Fish Species Substitution Surveillance 2019 to 2020 report
• CFIA's Compliance and enforcement activities

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) collects samples of honey from across Canada to test for adulteration with foreign sugars. Testing is done using two techniques. Samples in the datasets below were tested by the CFIA for the addition of C4 sugars using Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis (SIRA), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Analyses were conducted by a contracted laboratory to detect these and other added foreign sugars, including C3 types.

Compilation of data collected during evaluation of challenge check and reference controls produced by CFIA and used in the CFIA Potato Approval Program.

Chemical hazards may occur in foods either from their deliberate use in food production or by accidental contamination from the environment, during processing, or due to the presence of natural toxins. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) tests foods for pesticides to detect food safety risks and ensure that the food supply meets Canadian standards. The CFIA tested 3188 samples from a variety of imported and domestic food products for residues of the herbicide, Glyphosate. This was done to see what levels of residues were in these products and to verify that the levels of residues found meet Canadian guidelines.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) share responsibility for enforcing acts and regulations that govern the import, export and in-transit movement of food, agricultural inputs and agricultural products. The CFIA has the authority to refuse the entry of import shipments to Canada that are not compliant with Canadian requirements. This refusal is done prior to or on arrival at the Canadian border.

To protect human and animal health, the CFIA conducts inspections and has monitoring and testing programs in place to prevent and control the spread of diseases to the livestock and poultry sectors. The CFIA carries out programs related to animal health and production to guard against the entry of foreign animal diseases and to prevent the spread of certain domestic animal diseases. Animal owners, veterinarians and laboratories are required to immediately report the presence of an animal that is contaminated or suspected of being contaminated with one of these diseases to a CFIA district veterinarian. The CFIA will continue to immediately announce any detection of reportable diseases which pose significant health or economic risks.

Aquatic Animal diseases are of significant importance to aquatic animal health and to the Canadian economy. Anyone who owns or works with aquatic animals and knows of or suspects a reportable disease is required by law to notify the CFIA. If a reportable disease were to be detected, the CFIA would begin an investigation. The CFIA updates Canada's health status in real time, at the national and provincial levels, as mandatory notifications of aquatic animal diseases are confirmed.

​​The National Microbiological Monitoring Program (NMMP) is a food surveillance program managed by the CFIA to verify industry compliance with microbial standards, facilitate access of Canadian food products to international markets, provide information on the effectiveness of food safety control measures and interventions, and maintain consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply. Under the NMMP, a broad range of imported and domestic food products are sampled at importers and at federally registered facilities (i.e., those that produce food products that are exported or traded inter-provincially). Product and environmental samples collected were sent to CFIA laboratories and tested to verify industry compliance with food microbiological safety and quality standards.