Overview
On-Farm Food Safety programs are the foundation of the “farm–to-fork” food supply chain. In Alberta, most of the programs are delivered by the provincial or national producer associations.
This means they are owned by the industry and delivered by the industry, not the government. The Alberta government is supportive of an industry-owned process and offers credible, scientific expertise, as needed, to organizations and farmers in support of the programs.
Commodity programs
The On-Farm Food Safety programs are Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point based food safety systems developed for various commodities to enhance food safety, maintain consumer confidence and facilitate market access.
These programs comply with federal, provincial and territorial legislation and are delivered by a provincial delivery agent or by the national industry organization that owns the program.
They all have gone through a thorough Canadian Food Inspection Agency technical review process as part of the federal Food Safety Recognition Program.
Table 1. Contact and web links for commodity-specific food safety programs.