1. Provincial Dairy Food Safety Program Eastern Ontario Local Food Conference Food Inspection Branch Food Safety and Environment DivisionMinistry of Agriculture and Food Ministry of Rural Affairs December 3, 2013

2. Overview A few statistics Roles and responsibilities Role of public health units Steps to becoming licensed2 3. A Few StatisticsRegulated under the Milk Act3,996 cow milk producers 2.5 billion litres per year228 goat milk producers 35 million litres per year127 provincially licensed dairy plants 3 4. A Few StatisticsNot regulated under the Milk ActApproximately 80 sheep milk producers and three million litres per year 4 5. Roles and Responsibilities The Dairy Food Safety Program covers producer, processor and distributor levels 6. The Milk Act Production, processing, distribution and packaging of safe, high quality cow and goat milk and milk products in OntarioWho does what:OMAF Responsible for administration and enforcement of quality and safety of milk and milk productsFarm Products Marketing Commission Responsible for Ontarios regulated marketing system Supervision of marketing boards including Dairy Farmers of OntarioDairy Farmers of Ontario Delegated authority for administration of: on-farm cow milk inspection & raw milk quality marketing plan responsible for the production and marketing, including quota (quantity) 6 7. Roles and Responsibilities Dairy producer level: Inspecting and testing for raw milk quality Cow milk: program administered by Dairy Farmers of Ontario with OMAF oversightGoat milk: program administered by OMAFIncludes: Inspection of farmsTraining, certification and monitoring of milk transporters (drivers)Inspection of tank trucks (used to collect and transport milk from farms to processors)Testing of raw milk one regulatory sample tested per producer each month for: bacteria content somatic cell count abnormal freezing pointOMAF conducts regulatory testing for antibiotic residues and industry tests truck loads prior to unloading raw milk at plants 7 8. Roles and Responsibilities Dairy processor level: Licensing and inspectionAll dairy plants processing cow or goat milk must be licensed by OMAF (licences renewed annually in April) Licensing is based on compliance with regulatory requirements Requirements focus on food safety - regardless of plant sizeAll dairy plants receive an annual in-depth inspection and must receive a satisfactory rating to remain licensed Inspections are currently performed by: OMAF in non-federally registered plants (40) Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in federally registered plants (87) 8 9. Roles and Responsibilities Dairy processor level: Finished product and environmental testing OMAF conducts finished product and environmental sampling in plants Finished product samples are analyzed for microbial levels to verify proper pasteurization and food safety Environmental samples are analyzed for Listeria monocytogenes to verify sanitary manufacturing conditions and to demonstrate adherence to Health Canadas Listeria Policy for ready-to-eat foods Fluid milk samples are analyzed to verify compliance with compositional standards under the Milk Act9 10. Roles and Responsibilities Distributor Level: Fluid milk distribution licensing vehicles and depots OMAF inspects and licenses non-shopkeeper distributors whether they sell or distribute fluid milk products directly or indirectly to consumers10 11. Role of Public Health Units The 36 public health units in Ontario are responsible for the administration of a range of public health programs at the municipal level, under the Food Premises Regulation (Health Protection and Promotion Act)The role of public health units complements that of OMAF in: inspecting dairy plants that only process sheep milk products (which are not covered under the Milk Act) ensuring compliance with sanitary food preparation standards in food premises that are not required to be licensed under the Milk Act (e.g. Dairy Queen, Marble Slab)The Health Protection and Promotion Act includes regulatory requirements for pasteurization of raw milk11 12. Steps to Building and Licensing a Dairy Plant Obtain an Application for a Permit to Alter & Construct and an application for a licence to operate a dairy plant Complete applications and send with required documents (e.g. drawings of the facility) to OMAF If Director decides to proceed with issuing the permit, OMAF provides a 30-day notice to industry for comments If application is approved, permit is sent to the applicant and construction can begin -- ministry staff are available to provide advice/assistance Once the dairy plant is constructed, a final inspection is conducted Following the inspection, the Director makes the decision on whether to issue the licence or not Once the licence is issued the facility can begin to operate as a dairy plant The Directors decision can be appealed to the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal 12 13. 13