PoultryWorld: Regulatory changes in Canada chicken and egg production

Several regulatory changes are afoot in Canada relating to chicken and egg production.

Among these is a boost to national production allocation for at least a period of 6 weeks near the end of 2024, under Canada’s supply managed system. Allocation of what is known as ‘quota’ (an amount of chicken production assigned to each commercial chicken farmer) has been set at 1% nationally for that period above the current base production level.

The Chicken Farmers of Canada says this boost reflects competitive prices and favourable market conditions.

Changes for poultry feed

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has finally published the new ‘Feeds Regulations, 2024,’ which govern the manufacture, testing and more for feed for chickens, turkeys, ducks and other livestock.

The updated laws include a range of requirements that CFIA says “will improve the safety of livestock feed and the food production continuum, reflect international best practices, and support innovation.” The agency says the updated regulations also provide a more transparent process for the approval and registration of feed ingredients and feed products.

“The CFIA will support industry throughout this transition with guidance materials, tools (such as a model preventive control plan system) and information sessions, to ensure stakeholders understand the new requirements and are supported in complying.”

Industry response

The most recent updates to the Feeds Regulations were made in 1983.

Melissa Dumont, executive director of the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada (ANAC), said that her organisation welcomes the changes, but the feed industry had proposed modernisation in 2010.

Proposal for labels: Feedback wanted

The CFIA has also presented the egg farmers of Canada and the public with proposed guidance on how to label and represent plant-based alternatives to egg products. All are encouraged to share their views on the proposals by October 28, 2024.

The agency notes that “consumers would expect plant-based alternatives to egg products to be usable in place of an egg product.” However, the proposed labelling guidance “does not cover any product simulating whole eggs made from liquid, dried or frozen egg albumen or the compositional aspects of plant-based alternatives to egg products.”

Avoiding misleading images

CFIA proposes that labels and ads for alternative to egg products may contain images that show or imply that they resemble or are comparable to egg product counterparts – for example, an illustration of an omelette on a ‘soybean protein liquid egg product.’

However, the agency states that “this component on its own could be considered misleading by giving the impression that the plant-based food product is an egg product. Care should be taken when using such images. The location and prominence of the image, as well as the complementary information on the label, are considered to help determine how an image contributes to the overall impression of the product.”