Management Response and Action Plan (MRAP) - Audit of the Food Safety and Nutrition Quality Program

December 2008

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Audit of the Food Safety and Nutrition Quality Program

Recommendations	Management Response: (1) Accept (2) Accept with conditions (3) Reject	Planned Management Actions	Deliverables	Expected Completion Date	Accountability
Recommendation No. 1 It is recommended that the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health Products and Food Branch ensure that the Food Directorate both completes the development and implementation of its Regulatory Modernization Strategy for Food and Nutrition, and incorporate key missing elements into its strategic plan.	Accept	Complete the Regulatory Modernization Strategy for Food and Nutrition (RMSFN) which supports Objective 4 of the 2006 HPFB "Blueprint for Renewal".	Publication of the final version of the RMSFN.	December 2008	ADM, HPFB Director-General, Food Directorate
		Integrate key elements of the RMSFN into the current draft Strategic Plan, and use it to guide the development of the annual operational plan for the next 2 to 4 years.	Food Directorate Strategic Plan published.	March 2009
			Food Directorate Operational Plan for 2009-10 completed.	April 2009
Recommendation No. 2 It is recommended that the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health Products and Food Branch ensure that the Food Directorate completes the development and implementation of its new management framework for evaluating pre-market submissions and complies with the timeline requirements stated in the Foods and Drug Regulations.	Accept	Complete the development and implementation of the improved management of submission process and continue with the backlog reduction initiative for submissions in the safety assessment phase.	New process for managing pre-market submission reviews implemented.	March 2009	ADM, HPFB, Director-General, Food Directorate
			Backlog Reduction Plan for the safety assessment of food additives, infant formula and novel foods implemented.	90% backlog reduction by March 2010.
Recommendation No. 3 It is recommended that the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health Products and Food Branch ensure that the rationale for conducting health risk assessments as per the terms of the 1999 Memorandum of Understanding is adequately documented to ensure compliance with the MOU and that HRA's be used systematically to inform policy and standard setting.	Accept	Review current standard operating procedures and documentation requirements.	Review of service standards, as well as the examination of documentation requirements and possible approaches to decrease response time.	March 2009	ADM, HPFB and DG, Food Directorate
		Develop a more systematic approach for the tracking, review and analysis of health risks assessments to help ensure that they inform policy and standard setting through detection of emerging issues and precursors of food safety risks.	Approach implemented	March 2009
Recommendation No. 4 It is recommended that the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health Products and Food Branch ensure that the Food Directorate improve the management of its regulatory amendments.	Accept	Develop and implement an improved process for the management of regulatory amendments integrating key project management principles and establishing closer contacts with partners.	Review of lessons learned from preparation of the Allergens regulation conducted.	Completed	ADM, HPFB and DG, Food Directorate
			Modernized process developed in collaboration with key contributors inside and outside the Department.	February 2009
		Develop and implement a backlog reduction plan for regulatory amendments.	Phased implementation of new process completed.	March - September 2009
			Project plan - including timelines for elimination of backlog - finalized and implementation initiated.	December 2008