On June 11, 2026, the Canadian government published its new National Food Security Strategy. The strategy had been announced in the government’s Spring Economic Update, and the details were finally made available to the public.
The strategy contains several measures which, if implemented successfully, could certainly help middle-class and low-income Canadians by reducing the costs of groceries, and by improving the availability of Canadian-made food and beverages. The Agriculture Union welcomes these measures.
However, while the strategy offers measures for food security, it overlooks food safety in Canada. The government hopes to increase the share of domestically produced healthy food available to Canadians from 75% to 85% by 2032. But increasing domestic production while drastically cutting food inspections, as the Carney government is doing, is dangerous. More food being produced with less inspections being done by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) means more Canadians getting sick from E Coli, listeria or salmonella, and more food recalls hurting small businesses.
The disaster at the Joriki factory is still fresh in our memory. In 2024, twenty people got sick and three died from listeria after drinking plant-based milks manufactured at the Joriki plant in Ontario. The plant hadn’t been inspected in five years leading up to the disaster because a flawed CFIA algorithm had deemed their product “low risk”. The Agriculture Union would like to see a national strategy put in place to prevent similar outbreaks from happening in the future, but sadly the National Food Security Strategy fails to address this.
The National Food Security Strategy also comes against the backdrop of Bill C-30, passed by Parliament just before the summer recess. C-30 will serve to weaken food safety in Canada by allowing companies and producers exemptions from food safety laws in the name of economic or national security. It erodes a powerful regulatory framework that is respected internationally, boosts our trade advantage and allows for one of the safest food systems in the world.
We echo the words of Katie Francis of the Professional Institute for the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) from a press conference on Parliament Hill about Bill C-30:
“Food safety laws are not red tape. They are caution tape. They help prevent contaminated food from reaching dinner tables. They help stop zoonotic diseases from spreading. They protect consumers, producers, workers, and Canada’s international reputation. They also help ensure that the food we import meets the safety and quality standards expected by Canadians. Canada’s food safety system is not an economic barrier. It is one of our competitive advantages.”
Having more domestically produced food is a good thing. This is especially true as Trump’s gutting of the US Food and Drug Administration has thrown the quality of American imports into doubt, and there is no program to increase the monitoring of unregulated American imports. However, increasing production, improving food security and improving food safety must all go hand in hand. In the strategy, the government mentions measures to strengthen Canada’s seafood industry, worth over $9 billion per year. At the same time, they are planning on closing a CFIA laboratory in Longueuil, QC, Canada’s pre-eminent lab for testing marine toxins in shellfish. One hand appears not to be talking to the other.
This national strategy posits economic growth in food processing against regulatory controls. The truth is it cannot be one or the other. Strong inspection and regulation ensure that our food remains safe.
Ultimately, by increasing food production while reducing necessary inspections, the government is asking our members at the CFIA to do more work with less resources. Food inspection is work that takes attention, commitment, and the proper resources to spot contaminations before they end up on the shelves or on your plate.
Addressing the cost and availability of food is just one piece of the puzzle. The government must also commit to ensuring food safety by rolling back its cuts to the CFIA, and scrapping Bill C-30. While Prime Minister Carney may want what is best for Canadians, there is no security in food if it’s not safe to eat.
It’s time not only for a food security strategy, but also a food safety strategy. The government must put food safety first.