Food Safety and Traceability Programs Branch - Service Standards

• Our Mandate
• Our Services
• Our Service Principles
• Our Service Standards
• Annual Results
• Feedback/Complaints

Our Mandate

The Food Safety and Traceability Programs Branch leads and coordinates voluntary traceability and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) strategies and programs from farm to fork. The branch develops and delivers financial assistance programs for industry (i.e. Food Safety and Traceability Initiative and Meat Plant Assistance Program); ensures province-wide compliance, investigation and enforcement strategies and activities; and develops communications promoting food safety.

Our Services

The two main services provided by the Food Safety and Traceability Programs Branch are:

Training & Education

The Food Safety Programs Unit, along with the Traceability Programs Unit, all participate in training and education. These three units develop materials and deliver expert advise and guidance on a variety of topics pertaining to food safety and traceability. Staff are committed to developing and delivering excellent quality materials to our agriculture producer and food processing clients.

Training and education efforts focus on the Advantage Series of Food Safety Programs™ including Advantage Good Agricultural Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices, HACCP and HACCP+ programs, and a variety of practice specific materials. In addition, training and education on the requirements of Growing Forward Programming, specifically the Food Safety and Traceability Initiative, have been a focus this past year.

Compliance & Enforcement

The Regulatory Compliance Unit (RCU) liaises with and provides support to this ministry's regulatory programs for compliance actions including administrative hearings. Hearing outcomes will result in an oral and/or written decision and are issued to the hearing parties accordingly.

The RCU is actively involved in compliance and enforcement initiatives that overlap with other ministries and levels of government. The RCU maintains the link to the Ministry of Natural Resources' Enforcement Branch for investigation and prosecution services on behalf of OMAFRA. Cases referred for investigation often result in news bulletins made available to media outlets and posted on the website.

Our Service Principles

When we provide a service to you, we are guided by three key principles which will help us to meet or exceed your expectations.

• We are accountable to you and to the people of Ontario. Programs and services will be delivered according to stated objectives in a consistent manner. We respect your right to privacy and will treat information with confidentiality.
• We are responsive to your needs. We will provide accurate, high quality advice, guidance and information in a timely manner. Information will be clear, up-to-date and easily accessible. We will be transparent in our program guidelines and decision making processes
• We will be professional in our interactions with you. Our programs will be delivered by knowledgeable and competent staff. You will be treated with respect and courtesy.
  

Our Service Standards

Training and Education:

• We communicate the purpose of the training course to you.
• Training and education programs meet stated learning objectives.
• Our trainers have the necessary knowledge/skills to teach the program.
• Our trainers engage and have effective presentation skills.
• Our trainers will treat you equitably, respectfully and professionally.
• OMAFRA training and education materials are accurate, relevant and up-to date.
• OMAFRA staff provide opportunity for you to give feedback.
• Our programs meet training needs and provide relevant knowledge and skills.
• The course registration process is convenient and easy to use.

Compliance and Enforcement:

• The dissemination of administrative hearing decisions will be provided in a timely manner.

Oral Decisions

• Where an oral decision by the deputy director is available, it will be provided to the respective parties prior to the close of a hearing.
• A written confirmation of the oral decision will be provided to the respective parties within one business day.

Written Decisions

• In cases where volumes of evidence are presented, the deputy director may reserve his/her decision and, after consultation and deliberation, issue the decision in writing to the respective parties within 21 business days.
• In the event of a delay, parties will be notified.
• The written decision will be posted on the OMAFRA website within two business days of receipt and will be removed from the website after 30 days.

Public notification through news bulletins regarding enforcement outcomes will be provided in a timely manner.

• An approved news bulletin will be made available within 10 business days of the final court outcome.
• Retention schedules found on OMAFRA's website will be maintained as necessary.

Annual Results

These results reflect performance from April 1, 2011 - March 31, 2012.

Feedback/Complaints

We want to provide the best service that we can and your feedback helps us to improve. If you have comments, questions or concerns about our service we encourage you to let us know. Please contact us by calling the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or use the Feedback Form or send an e-mail to ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca