All food offered for sale in Canada, whether domestic or imported, must comply with the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, and the Consumer Packaging and Labeling Act and Regulations, according to CFIA’s media relations, Rod Lister.
No health-related incident reported
CFIA identified additional milk, which is not declared on the label, during a recent food safety investigation, the agency said.
“People with an allergy to milk should not consume the recalled product,” CFIA said.
However, the agency has not identified any consumer reactions associated with the consumption of Ross Chocolates’ products so far, according to the website.
'A printing mistake'
A commentator to press reports of the recall, identifying himself as a manager at Ross Chocolates and said the company's recently redesigned label contained a printing mistake. “The precautionary warning ‘may contain traces of milk’ was left out.”
“In a proactive way, we have voluntarily decided to recall all our products which are packaged with this label,” he added. “We highlight that this recall affects only our No Sugar Added dark chocolate bars and none of all our other products.”
He said Ross Chocolates would guaranteed reimbursement for consumers who have milk allergies if they send the products back.
Inspection process and consequences
CFIA’s food inspection activities include taking samples to verify that food is accurately represented on the label, such as nutrient content claims or other representations about the quality or authenticity of a product, Lister told ConfectioneryNews.
“The CFIA conducts these inspections both on a planned basis and in response to consumer and trade complaints,” he said.
Lister added that both CFIA and the chocolate industry have roles to play in achieving safe and accurately represented products for consumers.
“[Chocolate] industry is responsible for providing accurate information on the label, as well as for complying with labeling requirements.”
When a labeling issue is identified, the CFIA takes actions, ranging from a warning letter up to prosecution, according to Lister. If any product is found to be a health risk, the CFIA takes immediate action, which can include removal of the product from store shelves.
“If the non-compliant company is prosecuted, that information would be made public,” Lister said. Information about these prosecutions can be found on CFIA’s website.