Canada, US agree to share food safety information, collaborate on research

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) to share food safety information and collaborate on research projects.  Signed at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition campus in College Park, Maryland, the MOU seeks to expedite the sharing of information on the development of research methods and needs, genomic sequencing data, chemical and microbiological risk profiles, method validation data and newly developed methods. The arrangement with the US on food safety system recognition is seen as compatible with Canada's control mechanisms in food safety. Canada is one of only three countries to have signed this arrangement with the US. Acknowledging the comparable measures, the CFIA and US FDA are looking toward enhancing cooperation in public health, consumer protection and trade.