Food Exporters Face New Challenges
(Farm Focus)
The United States has a new Food Safety Modernization Act that is going to be a challenge for Canadians exporting to their largest trading partner. On the other hand, Canadians are more likely than competing nations to promptly comply when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announces details and deadlines, say three agricultural economists who have prepared a report on the situation.
They do, however, say “bottlenecks to exporting are bound to appear which will be very frustrating for Canadian firms.
“It is important for Canadian firms and Canadian policy makers to work hard to ensure that temporary bottlenecks do not become permanent inhibitors of trade. The Canadian government needs to understand industry concerns and use any mechanisms – including those in the North American Free Trade Agreement– to initiate consultations with the U.S.,” they say.
The U.S. standards for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) compliance could be a big challenge because, “while HACCP is widely used in Canada, there is no international harmonization of HACCP systems. Read more here.
Date: November 25, 2011
