New rules coming into effect for Canadian poultry producers Dec. 1

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) published a new policy titled “Pre-chill microbiological monitoring program for raw poultry,” at the end of August.

All Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence holders who are slaughtering poultry are expected to implement the pre-chill microbiological monitoring program by Dec. 1, 2025. 

Currently, the scope of this program is limited to poultry carcasses.

Live birds bring a load of pathogens in the intestine to the slaughter process. 

Every stage from the hanging of the carcass in live receiving to its entrance into the chiller has the potential to influence the microbial load on the final product.

Monitoring the microbial load at a defined point before carcasses are in their pre-chill mode allows for a more precise evaluation of contamination control measures applied during the dressing and evisceration stages.