The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a notice to industry of upcoming changes on pet chews made from animal products and by-products imports. The new requirements are for the following changes: labelling, ingredient listing and microbiological testing. The microbial testing results are to be clearly linked to the shipment or lot number on the import documentation. The CFIA is updating the list of countries from which pet chews will be accepted. This means pet chews made of bone may only be imported from countries with a veterinary infrastructure and certification system recognized by Canada.
Implementation of the new requirements is scheduled for May 2nd, 2022. There will be a transition period of 12 months where product will be accepted for import using either the previous or new conditions.
The requirements will be modernized and simplified to allow importers to more easily categorize imported products. The categories will be defined by species (bovine, porcine, etc.), and then divided into chews made of bones and chews made of all tissues other than bone (including hooves with no bone remaining inside).
Simple pet chews classified and found in Chapters 5 and 23 of the Automated Import Reference System
(AIRS) and must be made entirely from animal by-products such as pizzles, ears, tails, etc. If there is any meat or meat meal in the product, along with by-products or rawhide, this is defined as a compound chew which are classified and found in Chapter 23. Examples of compound chews include a hoof stuffed with meat meal or rawhide wrapped around a chicken breast.
The product label or a list of ingredients will now be required when importing rawhide chews. It must clearly describe the product as containing rawhide (also known as beef hide, cowhide, pork skin, pork hide) as the only animal origin ingredient.
The Public Health Agency of Canada(PHAC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are strengthening controls over microbiological testing of pet chews due to the risk of Salmonella infections in pets and owners. The same testing will be required for all chews (5 random samples per lot or shipment). This will ensure a higher degree of safety for Canadian pets and owners.
If you have any questions about these changes, contact the Animal products and by-products at APABPImport@inspection.gc.ca.