The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced that Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) of up to $15,000 can now be issued for violations by food businesses that threaten food safety and market access for Canadian goods.

AMPs are an additional option CFIA can use to address violations under federal regulations. CFIA says it will now have a consistent and comprehensive set of tools to enforce compliance with the requirements for all food in Canada.

The amendments to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations (AAAMPR) were published Wednesday, May 1 in Canada Gazette Part II and are now in force. These apply to both businesses and individuals.

The introduction of AMPs for all food sectors follows the January 2019 coming into force of the Safe Food for Canadians Act along with the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, which consolidated 14 regulations into a single set of consistent requirements for all food businesses.

AMPs, which have been used in the meat sector since 2015, can range from a Notice of Violation with no monetary penalty to a maximum amount of $15,000 for serious offences or repeat violators.