Introduction

Welcome to the Safety and Security Elements for Food Processors website!  This website was designed specifically with food processors in mind.  If you are looking for up to date information on food safety and security training for employees, customizable templates on security plans, sanitation procedures, or links to other resources then this is the site
for you. 

The National Seafood Sector Council in collaboration with the food processing industry has developed some tools and resources for the entire industry surrounding the important issues of food safety and security.  Browse the site and let us know what you think!  Feedback@nssc.ca

History

Canadian Public Health experts estimate that there are 11 to 13 million cases of foodborne illness in Canada every year. Most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented by using safe food handling practices. (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, CFIA. 2007)

The current scale of the Canadian food processing industry is significant; according to Statistics Canada the food processing sectors in Canada employed 222,693 people in 2004. This places food processing as the second largest employer in Canada behind the Trucking Industry which employed 363,000. There are currently over 5,000 firms involved in food processing, and this number is rising. Revenues, currently at over $72 billion, are also rising. However, the number of employees, is declining, while total wages have risen, representing significant human resource challenges across the industry.

This is a crucial time for the food processing industry in Canada, with increasing technological demands, a declining workforce, increased regulation and a growing immigrant labour pool, creating a pressing requirement for facilitation, consolidation and streamlining of training and other HR needs.