Concerned about deep cutbacks at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and “a move away from science-based decision making,” the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has quietly struck a “U.S. Risk Task Team” to monitor the impact of regulatory changes on food imports.
According to internal government documents, the federal agency is concerned that significant changes at the FDA, including staff cuts and lighter regulations, will heighten the risk associated with food and commodity imports from the United States, which would complicate cross-border trade and erode consumer trust if problems occur.
“Given the widespread changes that are expected to occur in the U.S. due to significant reductions of regulations and the federal workforce, the risk profile of products coming from the U.S. may change,” say the CFIA documents, which were released through access to information.
“Cuts and deregulation can undermine the system designed to ensure the safety and quality of food, plants, and animals, exposing Canada to various risks such as contamination, diseases, pests, and the resulting economic damage.”
“We will need to be proactive – identify critical programs and risks, gather and share information effectively, be ready to take regulatory action when needed, and seek additional resources to address increased demands on the Agency.”
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More than half of Canada’s agri-food imports originate in the U.S., according to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
Canada and the U.S. have also long benefited from a system that recognizes each other’s food-safety standards. In 2016, the CFIA and the FDA signed a recognition agreement that acknowledges both countries have comparable food-safety systems. The U.S. is the only country to have such an arrangement with Canada, and this means some U.S. imports are less likely to be flagged for inspection by the CFIA’s risk-based import inspection model, The Globe and Mail reported in June.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began reorganizing the department in March, announcing plans to lay off 10,000 employees, including 3,500 staff at the FDA, about one-fifth of its work force. The FDA is responsible for the safety of nearly 80 per cent of the food produced in the U.S.
The CFIA created the Risk Task Team at the time of those changes. A March document titled “2025 CFIA Strategy on U.S. Relations” lists several concerns identified by the Canadian regulator, including “a new U.S. administration with a protectionist and isolationist trade agenda,” as well as “an overall desire for reduced regulation” and “a move away from science-based decision making and trade.”
A second internal strategy document, which is undated, raises concerns about pressure on the CFIA to carry out its role, at a time when the government has asked the regulator and other federal departments to reduce spending by up to 15 per cent by 2028.
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“Recent and anticipated changes in U.S. government policy toward trade with Canada, as well as changes in domestic regulatory priorities, are creating new pressures and expectations for the CFIA in carrying out the above mandate,” the document says.
“Cuts in government funding for regulatory agencies in the U.S. may lead to decreased monitoring and control of animal diseases and plant pests.
“Canadians may lose trust in the safety of imported goods if they perceive the U.S. safety standards have been weakened and/or if they believe that the CFIA is not taking sufficient responsive action.”
The document also proposes a contingency plan in the event of deteriorating communications between government departments in Ottawa and Washington.
“Should there be a breakdown in communication between U.S. and Canadian regulators, the CFIA must be prepared to escalate important issues up the management chain, and flag any risks caused by a reduction or stoppage of information sharing.”
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The documents were obtained from Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin, who received them through access to information, and were subsequently confirmed by the CFIA. The Risk Task Team is being led by a senior director from the CFIA’s International Affairs Branch and also includes representatives from Health Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
“The working group’s role has been to observe, monitor, and share information across the agency. The group identifies and discusses potential risks to help inform decision making,” the CFIA said in an e-mailed statement. The agency would not say who in the department provided that information. It said no new funds have been allocated to the initiative.
Wendy Hulton, a lawyer who specializes in product regulation and food recall cases, is relieved that the CFIA is taking measures to watch U.S. food safety standards more closely in the face of regulatory upheaval. She called the task force a good first step.
“I don’t think everybody is minding the store as much as CFIA would like to think they are,” said Ms. Hulton, a partner at the Toronto firm Dickinson Wright.
It raises questions about Canada’s reliance on the U.S., she said, with two regulatory systems so closely intertwined. The CFIA has long treated both systems as equivalent, Ms. Hulton said, but she believes the cutbacks threaten that assumption.
Lawrence Goodridge, director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety at the University of Guelph, said the creation of such a task team is overdue.
He also sees it as a departure from the CFIA’s normal process. Typically, food safety is reactive instead of proactive, he said, as the CFIA responds to problems such as contamination or a disease outbreak with measures such as product recalls.
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However, Mr. Goodridge questions whether the CFIA will be able to move proactively to mitigate the effect of funding cuts in partner agencies if it is also facing resource challenges of its own.
“It’s one thing to launch a task force to come up with and identify problems,” he said. “But you can’t do anything about it if you don’t have the infrastructure.”
Rambod Behboodi, a lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP specializing in international trade, said part of the CFIA’s mandate is to ensure Canadians trust the food they eat.
“What the CFIA does not want at all is panic of any sort because of what is going on down south,” Mr. Behboodi said.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to questions about the impact of the cuts or whether HHS has discussed these matters with the CFIA. Emily Hilliard, press secretary for the department, said the government shutdown in the U.S. meant only critical functions at the FDA were being conducted.
The documents show the CFIA is also worried about the impact of U.S. tariffs as well as its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, and similar potential moves.
“The U.S. has previously been a strong influence worldwide in upholding science-based, rules-based global regulatory and trade regime,” the strategy documents say. “This will leave a large gap in leadership. … We will need to work closely with other like-minded countries” to uphold a “rules-based, science-based order.”