This is to inform you that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) new Complaints and Appeals Office is now operational, as of April 2, 2012.
You will now have a more accessible and transparent way to register complaints, appeals, comments or compliments related to
- service delivery;
- administrative errors; and
- regulatory decisions.
The CFIA uses an incremental process to manage complaints and appeals. Staff are encouraged to resolve complaints at the frontline, and in many cases, incoming complaints will be referred back to the frontline. While this process does not change, stakeholders can now, as a final step, submit a formal complaint, appeal, comment or compliment directly to the Complaints and Appeals Office. Once a complaint or appeal has been submitted, stakeholders will be contacted (either by phone or email) within two business days. They will be given a file number, an acknowledgement of receipt and information about the process, which is further described on our website. This single-window process will complement processes already in place by allowing regulatory decisions and service delivery issues to be more thoroughly addressed.
On February 27, 2012, the CFIA launched the Statement of Rights and Service for Producers, Consumers and Other Stakeholders and six guides to inspection. Five of the guides to inspection (producers, processors, animal transporters, importers and exporters) have now been revised to include information on the Complaints and Appeals Office. (Note: The consumer’s guide directs stakeholders to where food safety issues can be reported). Included in the five guides is a tear-out form for complaints, appeals, comments and compliments, which can be completed and mailed or faxed to the Complaints and Appeals Office. The form (CFIA/ACIA 5686) can also be found on our website and submitted electronically.
We have been working closely together over the last several years to look at ways to improve how the CFIA interacts with its stakeholders. The development of the Statement of Rights and Service and guides to inspection, and the establishment of the Complaints and Appeals Office, demonstrates the Agency’s commitment to improving interactions with its stakeholders. That commitment is further reinforced as the Agency continues to move towards a more service-focused agenda.
This service focus is also a way to drive consistency across our organization as it enhances engagement with our stakeholders and give us the opportunity to hear about the good work we do and the areas where we need to improve. The Agency values this feedback as it gives us an opportunity to measure and report on our performance both to our stakeholders and to our staff.
The CFIA remains committed to working closely with you to resolve issues that might affect our food supply, your industry and individual businesses.
If you have any questions regarding the Complaints and Appeals Office, Statement of Rights and Service or guides to inspection, please refer to the contact information found in each of the brochures and on our website.
We encourage you to distribute this information through your own channels. Thank you for your cooperation and participation.
Sincerely,
Catherine Airth
Chief Redress Officer, Integrity and Redress Secretariat
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Ottawa
