POR Registration Number: 087-22
Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety
Regulations: 2022-2023
Research Report
Prepared for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Supplier name: Pollara Strategic Insights Inc.
Contract number: CW2249206
Contract value: $194,908.05
Award date: November 30, 2022
Delivery date: March 31, 2023
Catalogue number: A104-150/2023E-PDF
ISBN : 978-0-660-48121-0
For more information on this report, please contact information@inspection.gc.ca
Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
2
Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety
Regulations: 2022-2023
This public opinion research report presents the results of a telephone survey and focus groups
conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights Inc. on behalf of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Recherche sur l’opinion publique auprès
des entreprises alimentaires à l’appui de la conformité à la réglementation sur la salubrité des
aliments : 2022-2023
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must
be obtained from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. For more information on this report, please
contact the CFIA at: information@inspection.gc.ca or at:
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1400 Merivale Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Health, 2023
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Table of Contents
Narrative Executive Summary .......................................................................................4
Introduction.....................................................................................................................9
Detailed Findings..........................................................................................................11
General awareness and impressions of CFIA and CFIA services...............................12
SFCR and other regulations ........................................................................................16
Outcome based regulations.........................................................................................21
CFIA website and other communications ....................................................................23
Creative testing............................................................................................................26
Ask CFIA .....................................................................................................................28
Appendices ...................................................................................................................33
Appendix A: Quantitative Research Methodology Report ...........................................33
Appendix B: Qualitative Research Methodology Report .............................................41
Appendix C: SFCR Survey Questionnaire...................................................................43
Appendix D: Qualitative Research Recruitment Screener...........................................56
Appendix E: General Focus Group Discussion Guide.................................................66
Appendix F: Ask CFIA Focus Group Discussion Guide ..............................................71
Appendix G: Ask CFIA IDI Discussion Guide ..............................................................74
Appendix H: Ask CFIA Survey Questionnaire .............................................................77
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Executive Summary
Pollara Strategic Insights (Pollara) is pleased to present this report to the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency (CFIA) regarding qualitative and quantitative public opinion research undertaken to support food
businesses’ compliance with food safety regulations.
As part of the CFIA’s mandate, the agency regularly interacts with Canadian food businesses. Public
opinion research among decision-makers in these organizations is an effective way for the CFIA to stay
connected to these businesses. Now is an especially crucial time to conduct this research, as the
Canadian food business sector faced extraordinary pressures during COVID-19. The sector is evolving as
a result of the pandemic, and dealing with new trends such as the growth of e-commerce.
Moreover, the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) have been coming into force in stages since
2018, so it is important to fully understand how these regulations are being viewed by the sector.
Building off this, this research project was an opportunity to explore how the industry feels about other
food safety regulations, including federal food regulations around online sales and importing, and
labelling requirements (including the labelling tools and resources available to the industry from the
CFIA).
This research also looked at the relationship between the CFIA and the businesses they serve, with a
close focus on the Ask CFIA tool.
In the focus groups, many businesses spoke of a desire for a “partnership” between themselves and the
CFIA – we hope the findings of this research will help the CFIA strengthen this partnership by better
communicating with and responding to the needs of the businesses they serve.
To meet the research objectives, Pollara conducted a telephone survey of 902 Canadians who own or
hold a managerial role at a business in the food sector and are responsible for regulatory compliance,
and an online survey with 200 past Ask CFIA users.
The phone survey was conducted by our fieldwork subcontractor, Elemental DCI, through their
centralized call-centre using their Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) system. Sample was
drawn based on a selected list of NAICS codes provided by CFIA. Interviews were fielded between
February 2 and March 16, 2023, in English and French, and took an average time of 15.3 minutes to
conduct.
Sample for the online survey was drawn based on a list of previous Ask CFIA users who had provided
their e-mail address to CFIA and consent to be contacted. The CFIA sent them invitations to participate
in an online survey in either English or French. Pollara collected responses between February 2 and 19,
2023. The median response time for the survey was 7.0 minutes.
The qualitative phase of the research included a series of 6 online focus groups with owners and
employees of Canadian food businesses, and 2 in-depth-interviews (IDI) with industry consultants, all of
whom were responsible for regulatory compliance. The groups were approximately 90 minutes in length
with the IDIs 45 minutes in length. All participants received an honorarium of $350.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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It is important to note that qualitative research is a form of scientific, social, policy and public opinion
research. Focus group research is not designed to help a group reach a consensus or to make decisions,
but rather to elicit the full range of ideas, attitudes, experiences and opinions of a selected sample of
participants on a defined topic. Because of the small numbers involved the participants cannot be
expected to be thoroughly representative in a statistical sense of the larger population from which they
are drawn and findings cannot reliably be generalized beyond their number.
The key findings of the qualitative and quantitative research are summarized below:
General awareness and impressions of the CFIA and CFIA services
Four in five (80%) food businesses feel they have a very clear understanding of the food safety
regulations that apply to their business, and a similar percentage (82%) are very confident they
could pass a CFIA inspection. Both these figures are high in all regions, and amongst all types of
businesses.
Perceptions around CFIA transparency have improved over the past year. The percentage of
businesses who feel the CFIA is very transparent at reporting non-compliance has risen from 38% to
47%, while the percentage who feel they are very transparent at assessing non-compliance with
regulations has risen from 38% to 52%.
Across the 4 focus groups, larger businesses who dealt with CFIA more tended to have more positive
perceptions of them, while small businesses tended to know less about the CFIA and therefore felt
less connected to them.
While larger businesses were more likely to see the CFIA as a “partner”, virtually every focus
group participant wanted the CFIA to play more of a partnership role, and less of an
enforcement role.
Participants generally felt the CFIA was most helpful to businesses when they are starting
up. Many businesses who have been operating for years tend to assume they know all the
regulations, and look to the CFIA mainly to let them know about changes to regulations.
SFCR and other regulations
Two-thirds (66%) have seen, read, or heard of the SFCR, up 4 points from last year, but not as high
as in 2021.
Consistent with last year, awareness of the SFCR is highest in Quebec (87%), and among
larger organizations with higher revenues. Awareness of SFCR is higher among
processors/manufacturers (78%) and wholesalers/distributors (76%), than among retailers
(60%) and agriculture businesses (57%).
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Outcome based regulations
Most businesses have a general understanding of “outcome-based regulations”, though only 36%
feel the concept is very clear.
There is overwhelming conceptual support for outcome-based regulations (support 87% / oppose
5%). Among those with a “very clear” understanding of what outcome-based regulations are,
support sits at 91%.
Though there is widespread support for outcome-based regulations across all types of businesses,
focus groups showed some underlying concerns held by smaller businesses. Primarily, some of them
felt these regulations can create a competitive advantage for larger businesses who have more
resources to figure out efficient ways to achieve outcomes within the regulations. They felt these
regulations should be accompanied by guidance on how to meet the outcomes.
There was additional concern, particularly among Ontario businesses that federal outcome-
based regulations wouldn’t be effective unless all federal and provincial/territorial
regulatory bodies adopted them.
CFIA website and communications
The CFIA website is the most common place information is sought from about food safety
regulations. In focus groups, most participants report looking for answers on the website first,
before using Ask CFIA.
Quebec is an exception, as businesses there lean heavily on the provincial government for
information. More of them visit the MAPAQ website than the CFIA website.
On both the survey and in focus groups, businesses were generally positive about the CFIA website.
They found the content there detailed and thorough, though difficult to search through at times
given the large volume of it.
Creative testing
CFIA advertising is unlikely to generate clicks unless it references “new” regulations, as most
established businesses assume they already have necessary licences.
The term “small food business” was not a term widely used by most participants, as not everyone in
this sector sees themselves as a “food” business. They felt “small business” sounded more natural.
The Government of Canada wordmark adds legitimacy to any ad.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Ask CFIA
In the last year, 17% of businesses contacted the CFIA though various channels for guidance on food
regulatory requirements.
The most likely to have contacted the CFIA are businesses in Atlantic Canada, large revenue
businesses, processors/manufacturers, wholesalers/distributers, and exporters. These are
also the types of businesses most likely to have used Ask CFIA.
After being told about Ask CFIA, 14% of businesses recall using it.
Three in four businesses are very satisfied (38%) or somewhat satisfied (37%) overall with Ask CFIA,
an increase in total satisfaction of 18 points from last year.
On both the survey and in focus groups, businesses are generally satisfied with the ease of using Ask
CFIA to access regulatory information. There is not widespread demand for the CFIA to introduce
alternative methods of contacts.
However, reviews are mixed on the quality of Ask CFIA responses and negative on time of
response. Many businesses complain of responses taking weeks or months, leading to
widespread demands for service standards on response times. Many also complain of
responses that only “copy and paste” answers from the website, rather than customizing
answers to match their unique situation. As such, businesses would appreciate having more
back-and-forth with the people answering Ask CFIA questions, to ensure they receive a
complete response.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Supplier name: Pollara Strategic Insights Inc.
Contract number: CW2249206
Contract value: $194,908.05
Award date: November 30, 2022
Delivery date: March 31, 2023
I hereby certify as a representative of Pollara Strategic Insights Inc. that the final deliverables fully
comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the
Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and Procedures for Planning and Contracting
Public Opinion Research. Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting
intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate or ratings of the performance of a
political party or its leaders.
Signed: Date: March 31, 2023
Dan Arnold, Chief Strategy officer, Pollara
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
9
Introduction
Pollara Strategic Insights Inc. (Pollara) is pleased to present this report to the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency (CFIA) regarding qualitative and quantitative research undertaken to support food businesses’
compliance with food safety regulations.
The main objective of this research project was to gain insights into the views of Canadian food
businesses on the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) and food safety regulations more broadly.
The research also included a focus on Ask CFIA, outcome-based regulations, and CFIA digital advertising.
This research allows the CFIA to track key indicators on awareness and confidence, as well as barriers to
compliance. Feedback collected during the research will also support refinement of current products
and services as well as the development and promotion of new communications products, services,
guidance, and tools for regulated parties to help them overcome barriers to compliance.
To meet the research objectives, Pollara conducted a telephone survey of 902 Canadians who own or
hold a managerial role at a business in the food sector and are responsible for regulatory/food safety
compliance. This survey was conducted between February 2 and March 16, 2023 in English and French.
The survey took a median time of 15.3 minutes to complete.
Our fieldwork subcontractor was Elemental DCI, who conducted interviews via Computer Aided
Telephone (CATI) systems. Elemental DCI relied on sample from Info Canada, pre-screened on the basis
of a series of North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes agreed upon by Pollara and
CFIA at the outset of the research (see Appendix A for the full list). In order to ensure sufficient sample
size among the agriculture, processing/manufacturing and wholesale sectors, a quota was put in place
to ensure that no more than 200 respondents were retail-only businesses. Data was also monitored to
ensure that multiple locations from the same franchise were not overrepresented in the sample. The
final data was weighted by industry type and province, based on the proportion of businesses that fall
into each NAICS code and province. The margin of error for this study was +/-3.3%, 19 times out of 20.
To better understand user experiences with Ask CFIA, Pollara conducted an online survey of Ask CFIA
users. Invitations to participate were sent by CFIA to past users who had provided their e-mail addresses
and consent to be contacted. In total, 200 people completed this online survey between February 2 and
19, 2023. It took respondents a median time of 7.0 minutes to complete the survey.
A wave of qualitative research accompanied this quantitative research, consisting of a series of 4 online
focus groups with food business owners or employees in the food sector, 2 online focus groups among
past Ask CFIA users, and 2 in depth interviews (IDIs) with industry consultants who had used Ask CFIA, all
of whom were responsible for regulatory/food safety compliance. For each of the 4 focus groups, 6
individuals were recruited as participants, with between 4 to 6 attending. In total, 29 people
participated in the focus group discussions. Four groups were conducted in English and 2 in French, and
all recruited participants were all given the opportunity to participate in a group conducted in the
official language of their choice (regardless of where in the country they operate).
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Participants were asked for written consent for all sessions to be video recorded and audio recorded.
Participants were provided with an incentive of $350. Appendix B provides greater detail on how the
groups were recruited, while Appendices E, F, and G provide the discussion guides used for the focus
groups and IDIs, and Appendix D provides the screener used for recruiting the focus groups. The
following table summarizes the groups:
Group
Region
Language
Date
Number of
participants
General focus group #1
Atlantic Canada
English
January 24
6
General focus group #2
Ontario
English
January 25
4
General focus group #3
Western and
Northern Canada
English
January 26
5
General focus group #4
Quebec
French
January 31
5
Ask CFIA focus group #1
National
English
February 27
6
Ask CFIA IDI #1
Atlantic Canada
English
March 3
1
Ask CFIA IDI #2
Atlantic Canada
English
March 7
1
Ask CFIA focus group #2
Quebec
French
March 9
3
It is important to note that qualitative research is a form of scientific, social, policy and public opinion
research. Focus group research is not designed to help a group reach a consensus or to make decisions,
but rather to elicit the full range of ideas, attitudes, experiences and opinions of a selected sample of
participants on a defined topic. Because of the small numbers involved the participants cannot be
expected to be thoroughly representative in a statistical sense of the larger population from which they
are drawn and findings cannot reliably be generalized beyond their number.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Detailed Findings
The following report contains analysis of both the quantitative and qualitative findings of this research
project. The report is divided into 6 sections:
Section 1: Provides an overview of general awareness and impressions of CFIA services
Section 2: Looks specifically at the SFCR
Section 3: Examines feelings towards outcome-based regulations
Section 4: Focuses on the CFIA website and other communications from the CFIA
Section 5: Presents findings on Ask CFIA from the telephone survey and the online survey of Ask
CFIA users
Section 6: Focuses on feelings towards CFIA’s digital advertisements
Note that the tables presented in this report for the quantitative findings include tracking from previous
years (where possible), as well as regional and industry breaks. Of note, we have grouped “Western
Canada” together in the tables in this report, but the quantitative data tables provide a more nuanced
look at British Columbia, Alberta, and the Prairies (Manitoba and Saskatchewan). The quantitative data
tables also show differences by additional attitudinal and “firmographic” characteristics such as business
type, business activities, products, and ownership characteristics.
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1. General awareness and impressions of the CFIA and CFIA services
Four in five (80%) food businesses feel they have a very clear understanding of the food safety
regulations that apply to their business. There is a high and relatively consistent level of understanding
across the country, ranging from 78% who feel they have a very clear understanding in Western Canada
to 83% in Atlantic Canada.
There is also a high and relatively consistent level understanding across different sectors, though
retailers (84%) and processors/manufacturers (83%) are more likely to feel they have a very clear
understanding of the regulations. Where we do see some variation is by business size, as 96% of
businesses with 100 or more employees feeling they have a very clear understanding of the regulations.
Notably businesses who have heard of the SFCR are more likely to feel they have a very clear
understanding of the regulations that apply to their business than those who have not (84% vs. 72%).
TABLE 1 – A1. How well do you feel you understand the food safety regulations that apply to your business?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Very clearly
(6-7)
80%
83%
82%
80%
78%
77%
83%
75%
84%
Somewhat
clearly (4-5)
16%
17%
15%
16%
18%
14%
15%
22%
14%
Not clearly
(1-3)
3%
0%
3%
3%
4%
7%
2%
3%
2%
Sample size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
Perceptions around CFIA transparency have improved over the past year. Perceptions are similar when it
comes to different aspects of transparency.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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TABLE 2 – T1-3. In your opinion, how transparent do you think the CFIA is when it comes to each of the
following?
Evaluating the food
safety risk of an
establishment
Determining if there
are non-compliances
of regulations
Reporting and
publishing non-
compliance results
Very transparent (6-7)
50%
52%
47%
Somewhat transparent (4-5)
25%
22%
19%
Not transparent (1-3)
9%
8%
11%
Sample size
902
902
902
The majority of businesses support the CFIA publishing names of companies who receive AMPs (support
60% / oppose 33%). While most do not hold strong opinions on this subject, among those who feel
strongly, 19% strongly support and 10% strongly oppose this.
Support for naming companies is highest for retail businesses (65% support) and lowest among
processors/manufacturers (53% support). It is also higher among larger businesses (94% support among
those with more than 100 employees, vs 57% among companies with fewer than 100 employees).
TABLE 3 – T4. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose CFIA
publishing names of companies who receive AMPs?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Strongly support
19%
15%
15%
18%
23%
21%
16%
17%
19%
Somewhat support
41%
41%
42%
47%
35%
34%
37%
43%
46%
Somewhat oppose
23%
22%
26%
19%
24%
22%
27%
23%
22%
Strongly oppose
10%
19%
13%
6%
11%
12%
16%
11%
7%
Don’t know
7%
3%
4%
11%
7%
11%
3%
7%
7%
Total support
60%
56%
57%
65%
58%
55%
53%
60%
65%
Total oppose
33%
41%
39%
25%
35%
34%
44%
34%
29%
Sample size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
Qualitative insights
Across the 4 focus groups, there was a wide range of familiarity and interaction with the CFIA. Larger
food businesses who dealt with the CFIA more tended to have more positive perceptions of them, while
smaller businesses tended to know less about the CFIA and therefore felt less connected to them.
Participants from businesses working with the CFIA regularly were more inclined to see the CFIA as a
“partner” rather than as a “regulator”. They tended to look at CFIA inspections as a way to be assured
they were compliant with laws, rather than the cops coming to check up on them. Larger businesses
who mentioned having CFIA representatives embedded in their operations were nearly all positive
about the role the agency plays.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Conversely, some participants who dealt with the CFIA less described them as either “another layer of
bureaucracy”, or “like law enforcement” - only showing up when there was a problem. One participant
felt “my ideal relationship with the CFIA is if they never show up at all”.
The most common criticisms raised across the groups resulting in businesses having a negative
impression of the CFIA were:
Lack of support: The most common criticism among participants that held a negative view of
the CFIA was that the organization was just an enforcement body rather than a group willing to
support the industry. There was near-unanimous agreement the CFIA can, and should, play a
more supportive role by working with companies in the industry to understand and adhere to
regulations. A powerful example of this sentiment was displayed when one participant said:
“Early on, when I was starting my business, I was calling the CFIA to ask them questions about
food regulations. One CFIA representative I talked to said ‘We are not your consultant’, and
since then, I have stopped asking the CFIA questions and relying on them to help me comply
with regulations.”
Personnel changeover: Many participants were frustrated by what they perceived as high
turnover at the CFIA, feeling they lacked one consistent point of contact due to staff changes.
According to these participants, this commonly led to breakdowns in communication, a lack of
support, and inconsistent guidance on regulations. Some participants reported receiving
different answers to the same questions they asked the CFIA when they spoke to different
employees, which caused them to lose confidence in CFIA’s ability to support them. A few
participants suggested the CFIA institute CFIA liaisons for businesses, particularly for businesses
that regularly interact with the agency.
Changing regulations without notification: Some participants felt the CFIA doesn’t do enough
to notify them proactively when regulations that apply to their businesses change. Most
understood that regulations need to be updated, though there was some disagreement on if
regulations were changing too much. Regardless of how participants felt about the rate at which
regulations are updated, a majority felt the CFIA was not doing a good enough job at proactively
notifying them about these changes. Several participants suggested the CFIA institute email lists
for specific areas of regulation that businesses could sign up for – this indicates there is not high
awareness of the existing CFIA email lists.
Lack of digestible information: Many felt information the CFIA provides to food businesses is
not digestible, easy to understand, or user-friendly. These participants felt the CFIA could do a
better job providing educational information to businesses, particularly new businesses, and
smaller businesses that may not have as much policy and regulation expertise in-house. One
participant wondered: “How do I know my position with the CFIA if they’re not going to educate
me?”. There is a desire for the CFIA to provide businesses, particularly new ones, with more
educational materials about how regulations apply to their type of business.
There was a strong sense that people need help from the CIFA most when starting a business, while
those who have established businesses only wanted to hear from the CFIA about regulation changes
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
15
that applied to them. Virtually every focus group participant said they would prefer the CFIA play more
of a partnership role, and less of an enforcement role.
Atlantic Canadian participants tended to have the most positive perceptions of the CFIA, though this was
likely a by-product of their businesses interacting more directly with the CFIA. Quebec participants were
more familiar with their provincial regulatory body: the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Food (MAPAQ). They tended to view MAPAQ more as “the police”, focused on enforcement, and the
CFIA as an informative body.
One participant in the first focus group raised the CFIA “chatbot” as a positive, though they may have
been confusing this with another service. When screenshots of the CFIA Virtual Assistant were shown in
subsequent groups, awareness and enthusiasm for it was low.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
16
2. SFCR and other regulations
Two-thirds (66%) have seen, read, or heard about the SFCR, up 4 points from last year, but not as high as
in 2021.
Consistent with last year, awareness of the SFCR is highest in Quebec (87%), and among larger
organizations with higher revenues. Awareness of SFCR remains highest among
processors/manufacturers (78%, down from 86% last year). It has risen among wholesalers/distributors
(76%, up from 65% last year) and retailers (60%, up from 50% last year), while dropping among
agriculture businesses (57%, down from 67% last year). Awareness among business who are not retail-
only is 75%.
It is notable that awareness of SFCR is consistently lower among retailers, even though they are more
likely to feel they have a very clear understanding of how food safety regulations apply to their business.
While 8 in 10 (81%) businesses think SFCR applies to them, this figure dips to 76% among retailers and
71% among retail-only businesses.
TABLE 3 – A2. Have you seen, read or heard anything about the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Yes
66%
57%
87%
54%
62%
57%
78%
75%
60%
No
30%
42%
12%
40%
33%
40%
18%
21%
35%
Don’t
know
4%
1%
1%
6%
5%
2%
4%
3%
5%
Sample
size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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TABLE 4 – A4. As far as you know, do you think the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations apply to your business?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Yes
81%
83%
94%
72%
79%
77%
92%
86%
76%
No
9%
13%
5%
11%
9%
11%
3%
7%
11%
Don’t
know
10%
4%
0%
18%
13%
12%
5%
7%
14%
Sample
size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
Businesses have heard of the SFCR from a wide range of places. The CFIA is the most common source of
where respondents have heard about them, followed by online sources.
TABLE 5 – A3. Where did you hear, see, or read about the regulations?
Total
CFIA NET
30%
CFIA – general/other
15%
CFIA website
10%
CFIA e-mail
3%
CFIA employee / inspector
3%
Online (general)
19%
Colleagues / Industry events
12%
Courses / Training
11%
At work / In house training
9%
Media/News/Newspapers
7%
Provincial Government (e.g. MAPAQ)
7%
Inspectors (not mentioning CFIA)
7%
Pamphlets / newsletters (not mentioning CFIA)
5%
E-mail
5%
Government of Canada
3%
School
2%
Through Canada GAP
1%
Sample size
663
There is no consensus on what element of the SFCR creates the biggest challenge for businesses; when
presented with options, 17% say “implementing traceability labelling on products”, 15% say
“maintaining traceability records”, 12% say “maintaining written preventive controls”, and 9% say
“implementing preventive controls”.
“Maintaining traceability records” was the biggest challenge among retailers, “implementing traceability
labelling on products” was the biggest challenge among agriculture businesses, and “maintaining written
preventive control plan” was the biggest challenge among wholesalers/distributers and
processors/manufacturers.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
18
TABLE 6 – A7. From your perspective which of the following key food safety elements of the SFCR is your biggest
challenge? Would it be…?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Implementing
traceability
labelling on
products
17%
17%
15%
18%
17%
21%
14%
14%
22%
Maintaining
traceability
records
15%
10%
8%
17%
18%
18%
10%
11%
25%
Maintaining
written
preventive
control plan
12%
12%
16%
13%
9%
8%
16%
14%
8%
Implementing
preventive
controls
9%
7%
16%
6%
9%
5%
11%
9%
10%
Obtaining or
maintaining a
Safe Food for
Canadians
Licence
9%
3%
12%
8%
10%
16%
9%
6%
9%
Other
8%
16%
4%
7%
9%
7%
10%
8%
6%
None of these
are challenges
30%
35%
29%
33%
28%
24%
30%
38%
20%
Sample size
701
76
160
253
210
62
185
412
42
Three in ten (30%) businesses use a private food safety or quality control certification system, with this
more common among larger and higher income businesses. Only 16% of agriculture businesses use this,
much less than other sectors.
TABLE 7 – A8. Do you use a private food safety or quality control certification system such as GFSI, ISO or QMP?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Yes
30%
56%
22%
30%
32%
16%
39%
38%
30%
No
60%
37%
72%
55%
59%
74%
56%
53%
58%
Don’t
know
10%
7%
5%
15%
9%
10%
5%
9%
12%
Sample size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
The majority of businesses have traceability documents (65%), traceability labelling (61%), a written
preventive control plan (54%), and a Safe Food for Canadians licence (53%). Once again, most of these
measures are more common among larger and higher income businesses. Agriculture and retail
businesses are generally less likely to use these tools.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
19
TABLE 8 – A9. Which of the following items, if any, does your company have?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Traceability
documents
65%
77%
61%
65%
65%
75%
83%
82%
38%
Traceability
labelling
61%
77%
59%
61%
61%
50%
77%
77%
50%
A written
preventive
controls
plan
54%
74%
50%
51%
55%
41%
78%
75%
36%
Safe Food
for
Canadians
Licence
52%
62%
67%
43%
48%
31%
66%
67%
50%
Preventive
controls, but
not a
written plan
32%
25%
33%
32%
33%
40%
37%
32%
25%
None of
above
13%
13%
9%
17%
14%
15%
8%
7%
20%
Sample size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
Four in five (82%) businesses are very confident if they would meet the federal food safety requirements
if they were subject to a CFIA inspection. As discussed, this is similar to the percentage of businesses
who feel they have a very clear understanding of what food safety regulations apply to their business.
Businesses aware of SFCR tend to be more confident they could pass an inspection (85% are very
confident), as are those who have used Ask CFIA (91% very confident).
Confidence levels are down 4 points from last year, but in line with what has been recorded in past
years.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
20
TABLE 9 – A10. If your business was subject to a CFIA inspection today, how confident are you that you would
meet the federal food safety requirements?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Very
confident
(6-7)
82%
76%
79%
84%
85%
75%
88%
87%
82%
Somewhat
confident
(4-5)
13%
22%
17%
11%
12%
17%
8%
10%
16%
Not very
confident
(1-3)
2%
0%
2%
4%
1%
5%
2%
1%
2%
Sample
size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
Qualitative insights
The majority of participants were familiar with SFCR, but for many this was superficial awareness. Few
participants could proactively provide details about the regulations, or cite specific regulations their
business had to follow.
Many businesses, particularly smaller businesses with less in-house policy and regulation knowledge and
expertise, resort to hiring food regulation consultants to help navigate the layers of regulation they are
required to comply with (including, but not limited to SFCR regulations). As such, not all participants
were aware that federal regulations apply to inter-provincial trade; they just assumed federal
regulations were only relevant for international trade.
Some of the common criticisms that participants raised related to the SFCR and other food regulations
include:
Complicated and over burdensome regulations: Many participants felt federal regulations they
had to comply with were overly complicated and too burdensome. This view was more common
among small-to-medium sized businesses.
Overlapping regulations: Most Ontario-based participants, particularly those operating in
Toronto, were frustrated with what they perceived to be redundant municipal and federal
regulations they must comply with. Those in Toronto noted how expansive the municipal food
safety regulations are, and that they often clash with federal regulations.
Relevant regulations: Many participants from small-to-medium businesses felt they lacked a
clear understanding of what regulations apply to them. One participant commented: “my
biggest challenge is knowing what regulations apply to us and what they are, not actually
achieving them.”
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
21
3. Outcome-based regulations
Most businesses have a general understanding of the concept of “outcome-based regulations”, though
only 36% feel the concept is very clear.
TABLE 10 – I7A. CFIA regulations are 'outcome-based'. How clear is the concept of 'outcome-based' regulations?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Very clear
(6-7)
36%
40%
41%
32%
36%
39%
33%
35%
36%
Somewhat
clear (4-5)
32%
37%
27%
36%
31%
20%
45%
40%
28%
Not clear
(1-3)
16%
22%
19%
16%
11%
24%
14%
14%
13%
Sample
size
451
46
111
171
123
51
111
236
53
When asked to describe what outcome-based regulations are, few respondents could give detailed or
overly technical answers of what the term meant, but there was one common theme: respondents said
that outcome-based regulations are about results.
One respondent said “[they] prescribe the outcome, but not the means to the outcome”. This response
sums up how many respondents describe the concept.
There is overwhelming support for outcome-based regulations: 87% support outcome-based
regulations, and only 5% oppose them. This includes 33% who strongly support these regulations, with
less than 1% strongly opposed.
Among those with a “very clear” understanding of what outcome-based regulations are, support sits at
91%.
TABLE 11 – I8. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose the concept
of 'outcome-based' regulations?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Strongly
support
32%
41%
21%
33%
37%
20%
40%
35%
33%
Somewhat
support
55%
41%
67%
54%
50%
61%
48%
50%
58%
Somewhat
oppose
5%
12%
6%
2%
5%
3%
7%
5%
5%
Strongly
oppose
0%
1%
0%
1%
0%
1%
1%
1%
-
Don’t know
8%
5%
6%
11%
8%
15%
4%
9%
5%
Total support
87%
82%
88%
87%
87%
81%
88%
85%
91%
Total oppose
5%
13%
6%
3%
5%
4%
7%
6%
5%
Sample size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
22
Qualitative insights
Though survey findings do not show a large divide between large and small businesses when it comes to
support for outcome-based regulations, the focus groups showed some underlying concerns held by
smaller businesses.
In general, large food businesses were supportive of outcome-based regulations, feeling it gave them
more flexibility. Those who ran smaller businesses were not necessarily opposed to the concept of
outcome-based regulations, but most felt these regulations can create a competitive advantage for
larger businesses who have more resources to figure out efficient ways to achieve outcomes within the
regulations. Participants from small businesses felt strongly that these type of regulations needed to be
accompanied by guidance on how to meet the outcomes. Many suggested information-sharing between
industry players could help them meet these outcomes, and felt the CFIA would be well positioned to
facilitate this.
There was additional concern, particularly among Ontario businesses, that federal outcome-based
regulations wouldn’t be effective unless all regulatory bodies adopted them. They worried this would
leave them needing to meet both the federal outcomes and the specific controls required by other
regulatory bodies. To this point, one Quebec participant recounted his business purchasing a $60,000 air
emissions system to meet a regulation, but then an inspector from another regulator came to his
business and informed him the system would not be useable under their regulations, so it had to be
dismantled and sold.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
23
4. CFIA website and communications
The CFIA website is the most common place information is sought from about food safety regulations:
38% look at the CFIA website when looking for information, with the next closest source being
Government of Canada website at 18%, and internal sources (e.g. the businesses’ head office) at 13%.
Consistent with other topics, Quebec businesses lean heavily on the provincial government for
information: just 9% of Atlantic Canadians, 5% of Ontarians, and 7% of Westerners look to provincial
governments for information about food safety regulations, compared to 32% of Quebecers who rely on
the MAPAQ website. This is more than the 20% of Quebecers who use the CFIA website.
Businesses with higher revenue and more employees use the CFIA website at higher rates compared to
smaller organizations. Wholesalers/distributers use the website most often (59%), while agriculture
(24%) and retail (26%) businesses use it less often.
TABLE 12 – I1. Where do you look when looking for information about food safety regulations?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
CFIA website
38%
42%
20%
40%
50%
24%
50%
59%
26%
Government of Canada
website
18%
17%
14%
25%
14%
18%
12%
14%
22%
Our head office/internally
13%
6%
9%
15%
14%
1%
5%
6%
29%
Ministère de l'Agriculture,
des Pêcheries et de
l'Alimentation du Québec
(MAPAQ) website
9%
-
32%
-
-
9%
5%
3%
14%
Other professional
organization
6%
3%
9%
7%
4%
16%
7%
4%
2%
Google search
6%
5%
0%
8%
10%
5%
5%
7%
7%
Internet/online
(unspecified)
5%
6%
6%
3%
6%
9%
5%
5%
3%
Provincial
government/organization
website
5%
9%
0%
5%
7%
2%
4%
1%
9%
Word of mouth
4%
-
2%
4%
6%
7%
1%
1%
5%
Food safety professional
website
3%
19%
0%
3%
3%
1%
5%
2%
6%
Other professional
organization website
3%
1%
4%
3%
3%
9%
3%
3%
0%
Food safety professional
3%
6%
2%
5%
2%
2%
4%
2%
3%
Local health unit website
3%
7%
-
4%
3%
-
7%
2%
4%
CFIA (other)
2%
2%
2%
3%
2%
0%
4%
4%
1%
Seminars
2%
-
1%
2%
4%
3%
1%
1%
3%
Provincial
government/organization
2%
1%
0%
0%
4%
4%
2%
1%
1%
Local health unit
2%
1%
-
5%
0%
-
1%
1%
3%
Sample size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
(responses with less than 2% not shown in this table)
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
24
One-third (33%) of businesses find it very easy to get information from CFIA on what regulations apply
to their business, while 32% find it somewhat easy, 15% find it not easy, while 20% don’t know.
Agriculture businesses have the most difficulty getting information from CFIA about regulations, with
less than half finding it very (19%) or somewhat (27%) easy, and a relatively high 19% describing it as not
easy.
In focus groups, participants were generally positive about the state of the CFIA website, feeling it was
detailed and thorough. The most common complain from participants was that there was sometimes
too much content to wade through, so they felt the search function could be improved – or “how to”
videos could explain to them how to make better use of the search function.
TABLE 13 – I2. How easy is it to get information from CFIA on what regulations apply to your food business?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Very easy
(6-7)
33%
42%
33%
33%
33%
19%
33%
34%
42%
Somewhat
easy (4-5)
32%
37%
27%
37%
30%
27%
43%
40%
24%
Not easy
(1-3)
15%
20%
16%
12%
15%
19%
13%
18%
9%
Sample
size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
Those who have difficulty finding information, are most likely to say this is due to a “lack of clear
information” or “difficulty understanding” the website (37%). Another 24% say their problem stems
from the website not being user friendly. Relatively few say their issues are related to poor customer
service (12%), there being too much information (12%), or their lack of a CFIA contact (6%).
TABLE 14 – I3. What is the biggest challenge in finding information on CFIA regulations?
Total
Lack of clear information / difficult to understand
37%
Website is not user-friendly / difficult to navigate
24%
Lack of contact with customer service / not responsive
12%
Too much information / high volume of information
12%
Not having a specific CFIA contact
6%
Research / finding information is too time-consuming
1%
OTHER
5%
Don't know / Refused
4%
Sample size
82
Most find guidance about food regulation on CFIA’s website at least somewhat clear, though a relatively
high 23% of agriculture businesses feel that they are not clear. This aligns with the findings above
showing that agriculture businesses have the most difficulty getting information from the CFIA.
The most common topic that caused difficulty when looking for information was “regulations”, followed
by “labelling”, and “food safety”.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
25
TABLE 15 – I4. How clear do you find the guidance about food regulations on CFIA´s website?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Very clear
(6-7)
39%
37%
30%
37%
43%
21%
39%
36%
56%
Somewhat
clear (4-5)
44%
40%
45%
47%
43%
53%
51%
49%
23%
Not clear
(1-3)
13%
17%
14%
13%
11%
23%
9%
13%
7%
Sample
size
456
48
90
177
139
35
118
275
28
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
26
5. Creative testing
Qualitative insights
Few participants said they would click on any of the 4 ad concepts tested, though this was largely
because they did not feel the subject matter applied to them, more so than because of problems with
the creative.
Since the ads did not present the food safety licence as a “new” regulation, most participants, especially
those who had been in their role for many years, assumed they had all their necessary licences. They
assumed if regulations were changing, the government would contact them directly, rather than via an
internet banner ad (or, at the least, the ad would say something like “new regulations”). Many also
found the language of the ads soft, as if it was suggesting they get a licence, rather than requiring them
to do it.
This problem was especially pronounced with the scrolling ads (Concepts A and B), shown below.
Participants found the text ambiguous, and assumed it was referring to licences they already had. “I
don’t think this licence is applicable to me, because if I needed it to operate, I would already have it”
commented one participant. Added clarity would be helpful here, such as stating “you may need a
federal food safety license”.
Moreover, some found the term “small food business” awkward, as they didn’t necessarily see
themselves as a “food business” (food being just one aspect of their business).
Concept A:
Concept B:
Concepts C and D (shown below) were more effective, due to the specific text of “importing food into
Canada”. This at least caused participants to pause and think about whether or not it would apply to
them. While most believed they already had the proper licensing, a few commented that if they were in
the process of starting a business, they would consider clicking on it.
The French versions of these concepts included the language “you need a food safety licence”, which
was more effective than “get a food safety licence”. This made participants feel the licence was a
requirement, making them more likely to click on the ad to learn more.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
27
Concept C:
Concept D:
A common suggestion was that the ads themselves should have a checklist indicating who is required to
have the licence, so that people viewing the ad can easily see if the licence is applicable to them.
Additionally, some participants felt videos might be a more appropriate medium for this, due to the
complex nature of the licence being advertised and the niche audience it applies to.
The Government of Canada logo did add legitimacy to the advertisements, though some felt it could be
made larger.
There was generally a negative reaction to the campaign landing page the ads led to. Participants felt it
looked like any other government page rather than one that was directly related to the advertising. The
first blush impression of participants looking at the webpage was that information would be difficult to
find.
French versions of these advertisements are available in the French report.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
28
6. Ask CFIA
Phone survey results
In the last year, 17% of businesses contacted the CFIA for guidance on food regulatory requirements.
Businesses in Atlantic Canada (36%), with $5 million or more in revenue (32%),
processors/manufacturers (34%), wholesalers/distributers (35%), and exporters (40%) are more likely to
have contacted the CFIA in the past year.
When asked how they contacted Ask CFIA, most indicate it was via phone (53% of those who contacted
them) or e-mail (48%). Only 5% of those who contacted CFIA (1% overall) identify Ask CFIA by name as
the channel they used.
TABLE 16 – C1. In the last year, have you contacted the CFIA for guidance on how food regulatory requirements
apply to your food business?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Yes
17%
36%
13%
13%
20%
10%
34%
35%
1%
Sample
size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
Overall, 9% of businesses say they have ever used Ask CFIA, though this figure rises to 14% after being
read a description of Ask CFIA.
Usage of Ask CFIA is significantly higher among larger businesses (29% among those with annual
revenue of $5million+, 37% among those with 100+ employees). Wholesalers/distributors are most
likely to use the service (27%).
Of those who recall how many times they used Ask CFIA in the past year, 44% only used it once, 32%
used it twice, and 24% used it 3 or more times.
TABLE 17 – C3. Have you ever used a service offered by the CFIA called 'Ask CFIA'?
C4. Do you think that any of your contact with the CFIA has ever involved using the Ask CFIA service?
Total
Atlantic
Quebec
Ontario
West
Agriculture
Processor/
Manufacturer
Wholesaler/
distributor
Retailer
Recall using Ask
CFIA
9%
14%
9%
9%
9%
6%
15%
20%
1%
Total recall
(after definition)
14%
20%
12%
15%
14%
9%
20%
27%
6%
Sample size
902
85
232
331
251
105
222
472
103
Overall satisfaction with Ask CFIA is up from 2022, with a large portion of respondents shifting from “not
satisfied” to “somewhat satisfied”.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
29
Online survey results
Notably, satisfaction levels of Ask CFIA are lower among respondents to the online survey. This could be
a by-product of response bias, with those who had a worse experience with the service more interested
in offering their feedback. Given this, we recommend relying on the results from the phone survey for
tracking purposes and internal benchmarks. The online survey should be looked at more qualitatively, as
a way to better understand areas of dissatisfaction.
TABLE 18 – QF5 & QC7. Rate your overall level of satisfaction with the Ask CFIA service?
Online survey
Phone survey
Very satisfied (6-7)
27%
38%
Somewhat satisfied (4-5)
31%
37%
Not satisfied (1-3)
41%
18%
Labelling and composition was the most common topic asked about through Ask CFIA.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
30
Most are using Ask CFIA because they couldn’t find the information they need on the CFIA website
(76%), because their question was complicated (50%), or because information they found elsewhere
wasn’t clear (47%).
This is consistent with focus group findings, where participants generally said they only resorted to Ask
CFIA after failing to find the information they needed on the website. Moreover, focus group
participants who reported regular interactions with CFIA inspectors said they only used Ask CFIA in
instances when these inspectors could not answer the questions for them.
TABLE 19 – QF4. Why did you decide to use the Ask CFIA service?
Total
Couldn't find information needed after searching on the CFIA website
76%
Question was complicated
50%
Information found elsewhere wasn’t clear
47%
Heard about Ask CFIA from someone else
6%
Didn’t realize I was using Ask CFIA
5%
Prefer not to say
1%
Don’t know
9%
The majority (64%) of Ask CFIA users report being very satisfied with the ease of using the service, while
reviews are more mixed on the level of clarity and detail in responses. Meanwhile, the majority (64%)
report being not satisfied when it comes to response time.
This is consistent with focus group findings, where the length of response time was the largest
complaint, followed by responses “not answering the question”. Focus group participants were
generally satisfied with the process of using Ask CFIA, and felt this was a good way to deal with inquiries
– so long as answers could be provided in a more timely and more satisfactory manner.
When asked to identify the most important element of Ask CFIA, respondents prioritize clarity of
response (43%) over speed (25%) and level of detail (19%).
TABLE 20 – QF7. Rate your level of satisfaction with the following:
Very satisfied
(6-7)
Somewhat
satisfied (4-5)
Not satisfied
(1-3)
The ease of using Ask CFIA
64%
25%
10%
The level of clarity in the Ask CFIA response to your enquiry
29%
29%
41%
The amount of time it took to respond to your enquiry
16%
19%
64%
The level of detail in the Ask CFIA response to your enquiry
28%
25%
46%
CFIA's support of your business to increase your awareness
and understanding of food regulatory requirements
28%
30%
35%
CFIA's support of your business to achieve compliance with
food regulatory requirements
31%
26%
36%
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
31
Qualitative insights
There was mixed feedback on Ask CFIA from the focus groups and IDIs. Some participants were pleased
with Ask CFIA, both in terms of the timeliness and quality of the responses the service provides. These
participants tended to be more knowledgeable about federal regulations, and were able to ask detailed
and specific questions through Ask CFIA.
Other focus group participants were not as pleased with Ask CFIA. Complaints about the platform
stemmed from 2 areas: delayed responses and ambiguous answers to questions. These participants
complained they had experienced firsthand the Ask CFIA service taking multiple weeks or months to
return answers. This timeline forced them to make decisions before receiving an answer, because they
could not wait until their query was responded to before making a business decision.
Nearly all participants wanted to see service standards on response time. Most generally felt that one
week would be reasonable, but there was openness to different service standards depending on the
complexity and urgency of the question. Participants recognized that some questions would take more
time to look up and answer, but felt they should at least get an update in those situations letting them
know that someone was looking into their question.
The ambiguity of some responses was also a concern. Many participants noted that responses were not
specific enough, and just repeated publicly available information, without taking into account the
specific circumstances of the submission (“I used the service because the answer on the website wasn’t
clear, but their answer just copy and pasted the website”). In these instances, they felt whoever was
looking into their inquiry should ask them follow-up questions or pick up the phone and call them to
discuss the issue, rather than just sending back an unsatisfactory response.
The intersection of slow responses and unhelpful responses was especially frustrating for participants,
with several feeling the CFIA should just tell them up front if they couldn’t answer the question, rather
than making them wait weeks for an unsatisfactory response. This frustrated some to the point where
they decided they would not bother submitting queries to the service anymore.
Participants also felt it would be helpful to understand who at the CFIA was responding to their
question, specifically if it was someone with subject matter expertise or just a “junior employee” looking
at the website (“I’m basing huge decisions on this, I want to be sure this is coming from someone who
knows what they’re talking about”).
The industry consultants, with whom IDIs were conducted, had a nuanced take on Ask CFIA. A refrain
from one of the interviews sums up their view on the service: “garbage in, garbage out”. These
consultants noted that the more specific the Ask CFIA submission, the better the response. On the other
hand, general and unspecific queries received unhelpful responses that just repeated publicly-available
information. The consultants were generally able to submit knowledgeable and detail queries, and
found the answers to generally be useful - but they would like the response time to be shortened. The
consultant who had been using the service for many years commented that it had been quick when it
first launched, but had slowed during COVID.
The main criticism with Ask CFIA from the consultants was that it had replaced direct meetings and
phone calls with CFIA staff. These consultants were able to call CFIA employees with questions about
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
32
regulations in the past, but they noted that was no longer allowed, with this practice replaced by Ask
CFIA. The consultants preferred the timeliness of phone calls, as well as the ability to provide significant
details about the query, and answer follow-up questions from the CFIA on the spot.
That said, in the focus groups among business decision makers themselves, most said they were fine
with using Ask CFIA, as they recognized complicated questions needed time and research/consultation
to answer. As a result, they were not clamouring for different contact points – rather, they just wanted
Ask CFIA improved.
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Appendix A: Quantitative Research Methodology Report
Pollara conducted a telephone survey of 902 individuals who own a food business or work at one and
are responsible for ensuring the business complies with food safety regulations. We also conducted an
online survey of 200 individuals who had used Ask CFIA.
The questionnaires for these studies were designed by the CFIA in collaboration with Pollara. The
surveys were offered to respondents in both English and French and completed based on their
preferences.
A detailed discussion of the approach used to complete this research is presented below.
Telephone Survey
Sample design and selection
The sampling plan for the telephone study was designed by Pollara in collaboration with CFIA. Sample
was drawn based on a list of NAICS codes provided by CFIA. Our fieldwork subcontractor, Elemental DCI,
used sample provided by InfoCanada, which has been used in the past for CFIA projects. The tables
below list the NAICS codes used for sampling and the proportion of the sample that is constituted by
each code on the InfoCanada list:
2022 NAICS Code
2022 NAICS Title
%
111211
Potato Farming
0.39%
111219
Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming
1.30%
111331
Apple Orchards
0.33%
111334
Berry (except Strawberry) Farming
0.43%
111339
Other Noncitrus Fruit Farming
0.16%
111411
Mushroom Production
0.17%
111419
Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover
0.46%
111998
All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming
13.40%
112120
Dairy Cattle and Milk Production
4.28%
112310
Chicken Egg Production
0.08%
112330
Turkey Production
0.07%
112519
Other Aquaculture
0.07%
112920
Horses and Other Equine Production
0.36%
112930
Fur-Bearing Animal and Rabbit Production
0.09%
112990
All Other Animal Production
1.75%
311211
Flour Milling
0.65%
311212
Rice Milling
0.03%
311213
Malt Manufacturing
0.06%
311221
Wet Corn Milling and Starch Manufacturing
0.03%
311224
Soybean and Other Oilseed Processing
0.03%
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34
311225
Fats and Oils Refining and Blending
0.21%
311230
Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing
0.13%
311313
Beet Sugar Manufacturing
0.01%
311314
Cane Sugar Manufacturing
0.03%
311340
Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing
0.39%
311351
Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans
0.59%
311352
Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate
0.15%
311411
Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing
0.13%
311412
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
0.32%
311421
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
0.56%
311423
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing
0.16%
311512
Creamery Butter Manufacturing
0.04%
311513
Cheese Manufacturing
0.36%
311514
Dry, Condensed, and Evaporated Dairy Product Manufacturing
0.36%
311520
Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing
0.26%
311611
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1.26%
311612
Meat Processed from Carcasses
0.44%
311613
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
0.04%
311615
Poultry Processing
0.22%
311710
Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging
0.89%
311811
Retail Bakeries
0.00%
311812
Commercial Bakeries
2.38%
311813
Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing
0.14%
311821
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
0.17%
311824
Dry Pasta, Dough, and Flour Mixes Manufacturing from Purchased Flour
0.41%
311830
Tortilla Manufacturing
0.02%
311911
Roasted Nuts and Peanut Butter Manufacturing
0.08%
311919
Other Snack Food Manufacturing
0.24%
311920
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
0.28%
311930
Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing
0.07%
311941
Mayonnaise, Dressing, and Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing
0.16%
311942
Spice and Extract Manufacturing
0.20%
311991
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
0.06%
311999
All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing
1.59%
312111
Soft Drink Manufacturing
0.35%
312112
Bottled Water Manufacturing
0.05%
312113
Ice Manufacturing
0.13%
424410
General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers
5.09%
424420
Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers
0.98%
424430
Dairy Product (except Dried or Canned) Merchant Wholesalers
1.14%
424440
Poultry and Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers
0.40%
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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424450
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
0.66%
424460
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
2.11%
424470
Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers
1.61%
424480
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers
4.54%
424490
Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers
8.30%
424510
Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers
1.35%
424590
Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers
0.35%
445110
Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers)
32.15%
445120
Convenience Retailers
0.00%
445230
Fruit and Vegetable Retailers
2.58%
445210
Meat Retailers
0.00%
445220
Fish and Seafood Retailers
0.00%
445292
Confectionery and Nut Retailers
1.72%
445299
All Other Specialty Food Retailers
0.00%
The final data was weighted to the proportion of businesses that fall into each NAICS code and province
as per InfoCanada information.
Data collection
The surveys were conducted in English and in French, based on the respondent’s preference, from
February 2 to March 16, 2023. The surveys were undertaken with Elemental DCI’s Computer Aided
Telephone Interviewing (CATI) systems.
Targets/weighting
A quota on retail-only businesses was applied to this survey, limiting them to 200 responses, or 22% of
the sample. Data was also monitored to ensure that multiple locations from the same franchise were
not overrepresented in the sample. The final data was weighted by industry and province, based on the
proportion of businesses that fall into each NAICS code and province, as per Info Canada’s information.
The margin of error for this study was +/-3.3%, 19 times out of 20.
Nonresponse
Up to 5 call-backs were made to each phone number, at different times of the day, to encourage a
higher response rate. However, the potential for non-response bias exists since certain types of people
may be less willing to participate in research.
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Quality controls
Prior to launching the survey, Pollara tested the links to ensure programming matched the
questionnaire. Elemental DCI conducted pre-tests on the survey on 10 English and 10 French
respondents. Upon completion of the pre-test, Pollara reviewed the recordings to identify ways in which
questions could be rephrased to avoid confusion or save time.
Elemental DCI’s data collection quality control process is concretely based on the following guide:
Quality control is critical to data collection and Elemental Data Collection meets or exceeds industry
standards. The firm has developed strict quality control procedures that occur throughout the survey
process.
With the CATI and digital phone network Elemental Data Collection can monitor the visual and audio of
every interviewing station in real time as outlined in the interviewer training section of this proposal.
Interviewers are monitored on 10 essential attributes for data collection. Chief among these are sample
management, introduction standards, refusal conversion (as relevant), voice control, survey
management, response probing, clarification of open-ended responses, and rapport with the
respondent. For each attribute, an interviewer is given a score out of 5 where 5 means “Exceeds
expectations”, 4 means “Meets expectations”, 3 means “Meets many expectations but improvement
needed”, 2 means “Not meeting expectations” and 1 means “Fails requirement – retraining required”.
An interviewer is considered a pass if they obtain an overall score of 80%. If an interviewer achieves a 1
on any attribute, this triggers an automatic 125-hour probation and retraining. After a survey is
monitored, the interviewer is provided real-time feedback ensuring that any adjustments are made
immediately. Any interviewer who scores below the acceptable standard is removed from the project.
Elemental Data Collection also undertakes additional quality controls through introduction monitoring,
which is used to assist in improving response rates, and therefore reducing the risk of non-response
bias.
a) Data validity
After the first night of data collection, the survey data goes through a quality control check by having a
Research Analyst verify the survey frequencies. This procedure is repeated on an ongoing basis
throughout the entire field period at fixed 15% completion milestones. The Research Analyst is looking
for outlying data, and in the case of tracking studies, large changes over time that may require closer
examination to validate the accuracy of the data. Upon completion of the fieldwork, all data files, again,
undergo a quality control check by 2 staff members: the initial programmer and a second senior
programmer.
Upon completion of the survey, the data file will undergo a quality control check by the Research
Analyst and a second Research Analyst before it is released. Data validation measures will include
cleaning the files to ensure that all skip patterns worked properly and there are no missing or extra data
supplied in the final data set. We will ensure that the collected data is cleaned and validated in
accordance with industry standards.
b) Coding procedures
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Elemental Data Collection’s coding department consists of a bilingual lead coder, who is responsible for
the creation of the code lists, and 4 coding staff, of which 2 are bilingual. In terms of verbatim
responses, all cleaning of open-ended responses is conducted directly in the CATI module, thereby
eliminating any data transfer errors to outside word processing software packages. Additionally, to
improve the quality of the verbatim responses, at the end of each interview, the interviewer is
prompted by the CATI system to edit their open ends. This allows the interviewer to directly edit their
responses once the respondent is off the phone. Our coding department is responsible for continually
reviewing all verbatims during the field period to ensure completeness of verbatims. Any verbatims that
are of a concern are flagged to the Survey Field Manager and in consultation with Field Supervisors
and/or the Project Authority, corrective actions are implemented.
c) Interviewer training and supervision
Elemental Data Collection has an experienced and well-trained team that are all Canadian based,
located in Ottawa, Ontario. The Call Centre Manager works with their team of supervisors and quality
assurance personnel to ensure that the project is successfully executed in terms of data quality and
quota management as well as callback and staff management. All members of this team were previous
interviewers at Elemental Data Collection and have had extensive training and extensive experience in
the industry conducting surveys.
Reporting
Results are presented in table format in this report. The full crosstabs have also been included in a csv
file under a separate cover – these ones using subscripts to indicate where the difference between the
demographic groups analysed are significantly higher than results found in other columns in the table.
These demographic differences have been highlighted when they are statistically significant at the 95%
confidence level. The statistical test used to determine the significance of the results was the Z-test.
This study references tracking data from previous waves of CFIA research with food businesses. Previous
reports can be found at the links below.
2021-2022 report.
All previous reports.
Disposition Report
Total Numbers Attempted
12980
Out-of-scope - Invalid
2184
Unresolved (U)
5826
No answer/Answering machine
5826
In-scope - Non-responding (IS)
1053
Language barrier
92
Incapable of completing (ill/deceased)
90
Callback (Respondent not available)
871
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Total Asked
3917
Refusal
2403
Termination
156
In-scope – Responding
1358
Completed Interview
902
NQ - Intraprovincial only
13
NQ - Business is not food-related
42
Quota Full (Retail-only)
401
Refusal Rate
65.33
Response Rate
12.58
Incidence (Overall)
66.42
Weighted and Unweighted Totals
Region
Unweighted total
Weighted total
Atlantic
85
58
Quebec
232
247
Ontario
331
281
Manitoba / Saskatchewan
79
108
Alberta
57
91
British Columbia
115
116
Language
Unweighted total
Weighted total
English
707
682
French
195
221
Annual revenue
Unweighted total
Weighted total
Less than $1 million
179
291
$1 million to less than $5 million
387
358
$5 million or more
222
138
Number of employees
Unweighted total
Weighted total
1 to 9
492
563
10 to 99
272
206
100 to 499
18
16
500 or more
4
2
Business sector
Unweighted total
Weighted total
Agriculture
105
208
Processor/Manufacturer
222
124
Wholesale/Distributor
472
249
Retailer
103
321
Business type
Unweighted total
Weighted total
Retail-only
201
393
Ownership
Unweighted total
Weighted total
Indigenous owned or operated
32
28
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
39
25% or more of individuals with senior
management role are women
528
549
25% or more of individuals with senior
management role are visible minorities
196
169
Online Survey
Sample design and selection
The sampling plan for the online study was designed by Pollara in collaboration with CFIA. Sample was
drawn based on a list of previous Ask CFIA users who had provided their e-mail address to CFIA and
consent to be contacted. CFIA then sent them an invitation to participate in an online survey in either
English or French.
Both the invitation and the landing page for the survey stressed that participation in the survey is
voluntary, and that information provided would remain private and confidential, in compliance with the
Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
Participants were provided assurance that none of their identifiable information would be shared with
CFIA.
Data collection
The surveys were conducted online, in English and in French, based on the respondent’s preference,
from February 2 to 19, 2023.
Demographic and company information about all respondents was not known, and respondents were
not forced to answer these questions, to ensure they were comfortable participating. As such, the final
data was not weighted. This introduces the potential for sample bias, as certain types of individuals
would be more likely to leave their contact information after using Ask CFIA, and to complete a survey
on their experience. Generally, we expect individuals with stronger feelings about their CFIA experiences
would participate in this survey.
Participants took a median length of 7.0 minutes to complete the survey. All respondents who started
the survey completed it.
Quality controls
Prior to launching the survey, Pollara tested the links to ensure programming matched the questionnaire
in both languages, including the correct use of skips and randomizations. A “soft launch” of the survey
data was conducted the first night of field to ensure respondents were able to access the survey, and did
not have any issues with the question wording. Pollara reviewed soft launch data before proceeding to
full launch.
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Respondent Totals
Region
Unweighted total
Atlantic
16
Quebec
57
Ontario
79
Manitoba / Saskatchewan
8
Alberta
12
British Columbia
21
Prefer not to say
7
Language
Unweighted total
English
168
French
32
Annual revenue
Unweighted total
Less than $1 million
46
$1 million or more
58
Prefer not to say
96
Number of employees
Unweighted total
1 to 99
119
100 or more
64
Prefer not to say
17
Business sector
Unweighted total
Agriculture
11
Processor/Manufacturer
103
Wholesale/Distributor
21
Retailer
25
Prefer not to say
40
Respondent
Unweighted total
Men
78
Women
102
Other
0
Prefer not to say
20
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Appendix B: Qualitative Research Methodology Report
Methodology
The qualitative phase of the research included a series of 6 online focus groups with owners and
employees of Canadian food businesses, and 2 in-depth-interviews with industry consultants, all of
whom were responsible for regulatory compliance. The groups were approximately 90 minutes in length
with the IDIs 45 minutes in length. All participants received an honorarium of $350.
The table below shows the date, time and composition of each group, along with the number of
participants per group.
Group
Region
Language
Date
Number of
participants
General focus group #1
Atlantic Canada
English
January 24
6
General focus group #2
Ontario
English
January 25
4
General focus group #3
Western and
Northern Canada
English
January 26
5
General focus group #4
Quebec
French
January 31
5
Ask CFIA focus group #1
National
English
February 27
6
Ask CFIA IDI #1
Atlantic Canada
English
March 3
1
Ask CFIA IDI #2
Atlantic Canada
English
March 7
1
Ask CFIA focus group #2
Quebec
French
March 9
3
Recruitment
Participants were recruited using a recruitment screener (see Appendix D). For each focus group, 6
participants were recruited, while IDIs were one-on-one interviews. All participants were responsible for
regulatory compliance and food safety within their business. The screener contained a series of
questions to establish business type, business activities, and business size, among other characteristics.
Respondents were recruited from an Info Canada list, based on the same NAICS codes included in the
quantitative research.
Moderation
All focus groups were moderated by a member of the Pollara project team, with other members taking
notes. Several representatives from CFIA viewed the groups – both live, and on tape.
Our team regularly briefed CFIA on the functionality of the discussion guide, as well as on issues relating
to recruitment, turnout, and technology. Together, we discussed the findings on an ongoing basis in
order to allow for probing of areas that require further investigation in subsequent groups.
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
42
A note about interpreting qualitative research results
It is important to note that qualitative research is a form of scientific, social, policy, and public opinion
research. Focus group research is not designed to help a group reach a consensus or to make decisions,
but rather to elicit the full range of ideas, attitudes, experiences and opinions of a selected sample of
participants on a defined topic. Because of the small numbers involved the participants cannot be
expected to be thoroughly representative in a statistical sense of the larger population from which they
are drawn and findings cannot reliably be generalized beyond their number.
Glossary of terms
The following is a glossary of terms which explains the generalizations and interpretations of qualitative
terms used throughout the report. These phrases are used when groups of participants share a specific
point of view and emerging themes can be reported. Unless otherwise stated, it should not be taken to
mean that the rest of participants disagreed with the point; rather others either did not comment or did
not have a strong opinion on the question.
Generalization
Generalization Interpretation
Few
Few is used when less than 10% of participants have responded
Several
Several is used when fewer than 20% of the participants responded
Some
Some is used when more than 20% but significantly fewer than 50% of
participants respondents with similar answers.
Many
Many is used when nearly 50% of participants responded with
Majority
Majority or plurality are used when more than 50% but fewer than 75% of
the participants responded with similar answers.
Most
Most is used when more than 75% of the participants responded with
similar answers.
Vast majority
Vast majority is used when nearly all participants responded with similar
answers, but several had differing views.
Unanimous/Almost all
Unanimous or almost all are used when all participants gave similar
answers or when the vast majority of participants gave similar answers
and the remaining few declined to comment on the issue in question.
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Appendix C: SFCR Survey Questionnaire
Introduction
Hello/Bonjour [In Quebec: Bonjour/Hello], (pause…) I am calling on behalf of the Government of Canada
as we are conducting a brief survey of food businesses. I want to assure you that this is not a sales call. It
is research sponsored by the Government of Canada. The survey we’re conducting is voluntary,
confidential and anonymous. This important research will help the Government understand industry's
views on food safety practices and regulations. I won’t ask your name, but I am asking for 15 minutes of
your time.
I am hoping to speak with the person in your company who is most responsible for the safety of the
food products that your business imports, produces or sells. This could be the owner of the company or
a manager who oversees the sale of food products, the food safety manager or quality assurance
manager. Are you the right person to speak with?
[IF NO: Can you please direct me to the correct person?] [Repeat from beginning if transferred]
[Once correct person identified]
Would you prefer that I continue in English or French? Préférez-vous continuer en français ou en
anglais?
[Note: if at this point the respondent prefers to respond in French then the interviewer must be able
to either proceed with the interview in French or read the following statement: "Je vous remercie.
Quelqu'un vous rappellera bientôt pour mener le sondage en français."]
My name is _____ calling from ______________________. The Government of Canada has hired our
company to do the survey.
The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete. We can call back at a more convenient time if you
prefer [IF SO: Schedule a follow up call] The information you provide will be administered according to
the requirements of the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act. This is designed to protect your privacy.
PERSUADER IF NEEDED: This survey is registered with the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC).
Should you have any questions about the survey, I can give you a contact person within the CFIA.
Screeners and Classification
S1. [Record from sample – not asked] Province/territory
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S2. [Record from sample – not asked] Full 8-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
code
S3. [Record from sample – not asked] Revenue
S4. [Record from sample – not asked] Number of employees in Canada
S5. [Record from sample – not asked] Business type
Agriculture 1
Processor or Manufacturer 2
Wholesaler or distributor 3
Retailer 4
Let’s start with a few questions to help determine the nature of your business …
S6. Does your business do any of the following? [Select all that apply – Code as “None of the above” if
they do not do any of these]
Import food products 1
Export food products 2
Send food products to another province or territory (If asked: For example, selling, wholesaling,
distributing) 3
None of the above 99
[ASK IF S6 = 1]
S7. Do you import food products yourself or through a broker?
Import ourselves 1
Import through a broker 2
Both 3
Other 4
Don’t know 98
S8. And does your business do any of the following? [Select all that apply – Code as “None of the above”
if they do not do any of these]
Prepare, package or label food for sending to another province/territory or country 1
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Prepare, package or label food for trade within your province/territory 2
None of the above 99
S9. And does your business conduct any of the following? [Select all that apply – Code as “None of the
above” if they do not do any of these]
Sell food directly to consumers (If asked: This would mean you have a store front) 1
Sell food products online 2
None of the above 99
[ASK IF S9 = 2 Sell food products online]
S10. Do you…? [Select all that apply – Code as “None of the above” if they do not do any of these]
Sell food products online within your province/territory 1
Sell food products online to other provinces or other countries 2
None of the above 99
[For S6, S8, S9, S10 code as "Retail only" if:
- s
elect “none of the above” at S6, AND only select “2” or “none of the above” in S8
o E
xception: do not code as “Retail only” if they select “2” in S10
MAXIMUM of n = 200 Retail Only]
[Flag as “intraprovincial only” if select “2” at S8 AND select “none of the above” in S6 and S9 - THANK
AND TERMINATE]
[ASK IF "None of the above" in S6, S8, and S9]
S11. What is your company's main business activity? [Open end]
[If business is food related then continue. If respondent does not mention anything to do with food,
then THANK AND TERMINATE]
S12. Which of the following foods does your company deal with? [Randomize, with “Other” asked last]
[allow multiple responses]
Dairy products 1
Egg and processed egg products 2
Fish 3
Fresh fruits or vegetables 4
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
46
Honey 5
Maple syrup or maple products 6
Meat products and food animals 7
Processed fruit or vegetable products 8
Manufactured foods (if asked: This would include confectionary, snack foods, beverages, fats
and oils, infant food, nuts, seeds, spices, condiments, cereals and pastas) 9
Or anything else? (SPECIFY: Recode if related to anything on list above) 77
Awareness of Food Safety Regulations
Let’s turn to the subject of food safety regulations, specifically the ones that are overseen by the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, commonly known as the CFIA.
A1. On a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 means "not at all clearly" and 7 means "very clearly", how well do
you feel you understand the food safety regulations that apply to your business? [Repeat scale as
needed]
Not at all clearly 1
2
3
4
5
6
Very clearly 7
Don’t know [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
A2. Have you seen, read or heard anything about the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations?
Yes 1
No 2
Don't know / Not Sure [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
[ASK IF A2=1]
A3. Where did you hear, see or read about the regulations? [Open end] [Accept multiple responses if
offered]
Don’t know/Not sure [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
A4. As far as you know, do you think the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations apply to your business?
CFIA – Public Opinion Research with Food Businesses on Food Safety Regulations: 2022-2023
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Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know/Not sure [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
A5. As far you know do you think the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations apply to on-line sales of food
products?
Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know/Not sure [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
[ASK IF S6=1]
A6. Were you aware that a Safe Food for Canadians licence is required to import food products into
Canada?
Yes, clearly aware 1
Yes, somewhat or vaguely aware 2
No, not aware 3
Don't know / Not Sure [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
[Skip if retail-only]
A7. From your perspective, which of the following food safety requirements of the SFCR is your biggest
challenge? Would it be…?
[Randomize 1-5] [Read 1-5] [single response]
Obtaining or maintaining a Safe Food for Canadians Licence 1
Implementing preventive controls 2
Maintaining written preventive control plan 3
Maintaining traceability records 4
Implementing traceability labelling on products 5
Other [Specify] [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 6
None of these are challenges [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 99
A8. Do you use a private food safety or quality control certification system such as GFSI, ISO or QMP? [If
asked: GFSI = Global Food Safety Initiative; ISO = International Organization for Standardization and
QMP = Quality Management Program]
Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know/Not sure [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
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A9. Which of the following items, if any, does your company have? [Select all that apply – Code as “None
of the above” if they do not do any of these]
Safe Food for Canadians Licence 1
Preventive controls, but not a written plan 2
A written preventive controls plan 3
Traceability documents 4
Traceability labelling (If asked: This is information on the label of a product that allows both you
and your customers to identify whether a particular food is subject to a recall) 5
None of above 99
A10. If your business was subject to a CFIA inspection today, how confident are you that you would
meet the federal food safety requirements? Please rate your view on a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 means
not at all confident and 7 means very confident. [Repeat scale as needed]
Not at all confident 1
2
3
4
5
6
Very confident 7
Don’t know [Do not read] 98
A11. Are you aware of the Establishment-based Risk Assessment, or ERA model, which the CFIA uses to
help detect areas or businesses that pose a higher food safety risk?
Yes, clearly aware 1
Yes, somewhat or vaguely aware 2
No, not aware 3
Don't know / Not Sure [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
Transparency
T1-3. In your opinion, how transparent do you think the CFIA is when it comes to each of the following.
Please answer on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being not at all transparent, and 7 being very transparent.
[repeat scale as needed]
T1. Evaluating the food safety risk of an establishment?
T2. Determining if there are non-compliances of regulations?
T3. Reporting and publishing non-compliance results?
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Not at all transparent 1
2
3
4
5
6
Very transparent 7
Don’t know [Do not read] 98
T4. CFIA has several enforcement actions that it can use when cases of non-compliance are found. One
is an Administrative Monetary Penalty, also called an AMP. CFIA publishes a summary list of AMPs on its
website. [Rotate next 2 statements]
1) There are some people who feel CFIA should publish the names of companies that receive AMPs, as
this helps the whole industry improve by highlighting quality.
2) There are some people who feel CFIA should not publish these names, as AMPs can happen to good
companies
Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose CFIA publishing
names of companies that receive AMPs?
Strongly support 1
Somewhat support 2
Somewhat oppose 3
Strongly oppose 4
Don’t know/Not sure [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
Information Search and Understanding
I1. Where do you look when looking for information about food safety regulations? [Ask open, code on
list below, accept multiple responses]
CFIA website 1
Government of Canada website 2
Other website – obtain specific website: ________ 76
Seminars 3
Word of mouth 4
Other (please specify): _______ 77
Don't know 98
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I2. How easy is it to get information from the CFIA on what regulations apply to your food business?
Please answer on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being not at all easy and 7 being very easy.
Not at all easy 1
2
3
4
5
6
Very easy 7
Don’t know [Do not read] 98
[ASK IF I2 = 1 OR 2]
I3. What is the biggest challenge in finding information on CFIA regulations? [Ask open, code on list
below, accept multiple responses]
Website is not user-friendly / difficult to navigate 1
Lack of clear information / difficult to understand 2
Lack of notifications / updates 3
Too much information / high volume of information 4
Lack of contact with customer service / not responsive 5
Research / finding information is too time-consuming 6
Not having a specific CFIA contact 7
Other (please specify):______________ 77
Don't know / Refused 98
None / No challenges 99
[ASK IF I1 = 1]
I4. How clear do you find the guidance about food regulations on CFIA’s website? Please answer on a
scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being not at all clear and 7 being very clear.
Not at all clear 1
2
3
4
5
6
Very clear 7
Don’t know [Do not read] 98
I5. Have you ever had difficulty getting information you needed from CFIA?
Yes 1
No 2
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Don’t know [Do not read] 98
[IF I5 = 1]
I6. What specific topics did you have difficulty getting information on? [Open end]
[SPLIT SAMPLE – HALF ASKED I7A, HALF ASKED I7B]
I7A. Some CFIA regulations are “outcome-based”. How clear is the concept of “outcome-based”
regulations to you personally? Please answer on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being not at all clear and 7
being very clear.
Not at all clear 1
2
3
4
5
6
Very clear 7
Don’t know [Do not read] 98
I7B. Can you briefly describe what “outcome-based” regulations mean? If you are not familiar with this
concept, simply say so. [ask open – include hard code for “not familiar”]
I8. Outcome-based regulations means the regulations specify the outcome of a requirement that a
business needs to achieve, rather than the process to apply to meet that outcome. So businesses have
more flexibility to choose what they will do to meet the regulated outcome, as long as they are able to
meet the outcome. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose
the concept of “outcome-based” regulations?
Strongly support 1
Somewhat support 2
Somewhat oppose 3
Strongly oppose 4
Don’t know/Not Sure 98
Ask CFIA
C1. In the last year, have you contacted the CFIA for guidance on how food regulatory requirements
apply to your food business?
Yes 1
No 2
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Don’t know 98
[ASK IF C1 = 1]
C2. How did you contact the CFIA for guidance? Did you … [Ask open, code on list below, accept multiple
responses]
Phone 1
In-person at a CFIA office 2
Use the online “contact us” form on the CFIA website 3
Ask CFIA 4
Email 5
Other [Specify] 77
Don’t know 98
C3. Have you ever used a service offered by the CFIA called "Ask CFIA"?
Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know 98
[IF C3 = 2 OR 98]
C4. Ask CFIA is a service to provide the food industry with one point of entry through the online “Contact
us” form to ask questions about food regulatory requirements. Ask CFIA provides written answers to
food regulatory questions submitted by Canadian businesses and non-resident importers.
Based on this definition, do you think that any of your contact with the CFIA has ever involved using the
Ask CFIA service?
Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know 98
[SKIP IF C4 = 2 OR 98]
C5. In the last year, how many times have you used the Ask CFIA service? (if can’t be specific, ask them
to estimate)
Did not use in past year 1
1 time 2
2 times 3
3 times 4
4 times 5
5 or more 6
Don’t know 98
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[SKIP IF C4 = 2 OR 98]
C6. How likely would you be to use “Ask CFIA” in the future. Please use a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is not
at all likely and 7 is very likely?
1 – Not at all likely 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 – Very likely 7
Don't know 98
[SKIP IF C4 = 2 OR 98]
C7. Rate your overall level of satisfaction with the Ask CFIA service. Please use a scale of 1 to 7, where 1
means not at all satisfied and 7 means very satisfied.
1 – Not at all satisfied 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7– Very satisfied 7
Don't know 98
[ASK IF C7 = 1 TO 7]
C8. Please expand on why you provided that rating? [ASK OPEN]
Demographics / Language requirements
Thank you for your answers. We just have a few final demographic questions to classify your responses.
D1. Would it be helpful to you to have information about food safety regulations in a language other
than French or English?
Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
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[IF D1 = 1]
D2. Which languages would you or your employer use? [Ask open, code on list below, accept multiple
responses]
Arabic 1
Chinese (no indication given of which version) 2
Chinese simplified 3
Chinese traditional 4
German 5
Hindi 6
Portuguese 7
Punjabi 8
Spanish 9
Thai 10
Turkish 11
Other (specify) 77
Don’t know 98
D3. Would you classify your company as Indigenous-owned or -operated?
Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know [Do not read, prompt if necessary] 98
D4. Can you provide an approximate percentage of individuals in your company with a senior
management role that identify as women?
Women __________ % [minimum: 0, maximum: 100]
Don't know 98
Prefer not to say 99
[Persuader if asked: The Government of Canada has a policy that is designed to ensure that the diverse
population of Canada is equally supported and in order to better understand the composition of
leadership at Canadian food businesses we are asking about gender and other demographic
characteristics of the leadership group. An estimate is fine for this question and if you do not know, that
is fine as well.]
D5. Can you provide an approximate percentage of individuals in your company with a senior
management role that might identify as a visible minority?
Visible minority __________ % [minimum: 0, maximum: 100]
Don't know 98
Prefer not to say 99
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[Persuader if asked: The Government of Canada has a policy that is designed to ensure that the diverse
population of Canada is equally supported and in order to better understand the composition of
leadership at Canadian food businesses we are asking about race and other demographic characteristics
of the leadership group. An estimate is fine for this question and if you do not know, that is fine as well.]
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Appendix D: Qualitative Research Recruitment Screener
Group Details
Recruit 6 participants for 5-6 to show
Sessions are 90 minutes
Focus on manufacturers/processors, importers and exporters
No retail or agricultural businesses will be recruited for focus groups
Group Composition
Six focus groups will be conducted.
The first 4 will be conducted among individuals in a managerial role. These will be recruited using
NAICS codes: (note: retail and agriculture sample codes will not be used for the focus group recruit)
The last 2 groups will be specifically with those that have used the “Ask CFIA” service
Date
Audience
Language
January 24, 2023
Atlantic business group (would also include any
Quebec participants who would rather participate in
English)
English
January 25, 2023
Ontario business group
English
January 26, 2023
West + North business group
English
January 31, 2023
French business group (primarily recruited from
Quebec, but would include participants from
elsewhere more comfortable in French)
French
2 groups will also be conducted among users of the “Ask CFIA” service, using sample provided by CFIA:
Date
Audience
Language
February 27, 2023
French Ask CFIA users
French
March 9, 2023
English Ask CFIA users
English
Aim for half of the participants per group to be women.
Aim for at least 2 Indigenous persons and 8 racialized persons across the 6 groups.
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Category of business? [RECORD FROM SAMPLE – DO NOT READ]
Agriculture THANK AND TERMINATE
Processor or manufacturer [MINIMUM 4 PROCESSORS/MANUFACTURERS PER GROUP]
Wholesaler or distributor
Retailer THANK AND TERMINATE
Other [DO NOT READ] THANK AND TERMINATE IF UNRELATED TO TOP 3 CATEGORIES
Screener Content
Group # Region Language Time
Hello/Bonjour, this is _______________ calling on behalf of Pollara, a national public opinion research
firm. We’re organizing a series of discussion groups on behalf of the Government of Canada. We are
looking for people who would be willing to participate in a 90-minute online discussion group on the topic
of their business’ experience with food safety requirements. For their time, participants will receive an
honorarium of $350. May I continue?
Yes CONTINUE
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Participation is voluntary. We are interested in hearing your opinions; no attempt will be made to sell you
anything or change your point of view. The format is a “round table” discussion with up to 6 participants,
led by a research professional. All opinions expressed will remain anonymous and confidential, and no
individual participant will ever be identified in our final report.
I would like to ask you a few questions to see if you or someone in your company qualify to participate.
This will take about 5 minutes. May I continue?
Yes CONTINUE
No THANK AND TERMINATE
This call may be monitored or audio recorded for quality control and evaluation purposes.
ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION IF NEEDED:
The call is monitored to ensure that I am reading the questions correctly and collecting your answers
accurately, and to ensure that we’re asking the right questions to meet our clients’ research
requirements.
If the call is audio recorded, it is only for the purposes of playback to the interviewer for a performance
evaluation immediately after the interview is conducted, or it can be used by the Project Manager to
evaluate the questionnaire.
All audio tapes are destroyed after the evaluation.
1. Can you please provide me with your job title? [RECORD]
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2. Are you the owner or manager or this company?
Yes
No
3. Do you have primary responsibility for the food safety of the food products that your business
produces or sells?
Yes
Shared responsibility [DO NOT PROMPT FOR THIS, BUT ACCEPT IF OFFERED]
No THANK AND TERMINATE
[IF SHARED RESPONSIBILITY]
3B. Have you been directly involved in key decisions around food safety or meeting food safety
regulations in recent years?
Yes
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Not sure THANK AND TERMINATE
4. In which province or territory do you live?
Newfoundland and Labrador
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia
Nunavut
Northwest Territories
Yukon
[ASK ONLY FOR “ASK CFIA” GROUPS]
5. In the past year, did you use the “Ask CFIA” online service?
Yes
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know THANK AND TERMINATE
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6. Please specify the major food categories or types of food your business specializes in: [RECORD]
7. I’m going to read a few types of businesses activities. For each, indicate if it applies to your business or
not. [READ LIST, PAUSING AFTER EACH SO THEY CAN ANSWER IF IT APPLIED] [ACCEPT MULTIPLE
RESPONSES]
Import food products
Export food products
Send food products to another province or territory (If asked, for example, wholesaler/
distributors)
Prepare, package or label food for sending to another province/territory or country (If asked,
activities would include manufacture, process, treat or preserve)
Prepare, package or label food for trade within your province/territory (If asked, activities would
include manufacture, process, treat or preserve)
Sell food directly to consumers (store front)
Sell food products online
None of the above THANK AND TERMINATE
[IF SELL FOOD PRODUCTS ONLINE]
8. Do you…? [READ LIST, PAUSING AFTER EACH SO THEY CAN ANSWER IF IT APPLIED] [ACCEPT
MULTIPLE RESPONSES]
Sell food products online within your province/territory
Sell food products online to other provinces or other countries
[“THANK AND TERMINATE” IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IN 7 AND 8:
only select "Sell food directly to consumers (store front)"
only select “sell food products online” in 7 and only select “Sell food products online within
your province/territory” in 8
only select “Prepare, package or label food for trade within your province/territory (If asked,
activities would include manufacture, process, treat or preserve)”]
9. Are you… [READ LIST] [AIM FOR AT LEAST 2 MALE AND AT LEAST 2 FEMALE RESPONDENTS PER
GROUP]
Male
Female
Other
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10. Are you an Indigenous person, that is, First Nations, Métis or Inuk? [AIM FOR AT LEAST 2 INDIGENOUS
PARTICIPANTS ACROSS THE GROUPS]
Yes
No
Prefer not to answer
11. We are interested in ensuring we reach people from different racialized and visible minority
populations. Are you: [READ LIST - READ EXAMPLES IN BRACKETS ONLY IF RESPONDENT NEEDS
CLARIFICATION] [AIM FOR AT LEAST 8 RACIALIZED RESPONDENTS ACROSS THE GROUPS]
White (Caucasian)
Arab and/or Maghrebi (e.g.: Moroccan, Algerian, Egyptian, Saudi, etc.)
Black (e.g.: African-Canadian, Sub-Saharan African, Jamaican, Haitian, Bajan, etc.)
Chinese Heritage (includes China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu)
Filipino
Japanese
Korean
Latin American (Hispanic, Latino, Mexico, Central America, South America)
Central Asian (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc.)
South Asian (Indian of India, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladesh, etc.)
Southeast Asian (e.g.: Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian, Laotian, etc.)
West Asian (e.g.: Afghani, Iranian, etc.)
Other [SPECIFY]
Prefer not to say [DO NOT READ]
12. Including yourself, about how many people does your business employ in Canada? If you are a
franchise, please only consider your location.
[READ LIST] [ENSURE GOOD MIX FROM DIFFERENT CATEGORIES IN EACH GROUP]
1-4
5-99
100-499
500+
Don’t know [DO NOT READ] THANK AND TERMINATE
13. And which of the following reflects the approximate size of your business by gross annual revenue for
your Canadian operations? Again, if you are a franchisee, please only consider your location. [READ LIST]
[ENSURE GOOD MIX FROM DIFFERENT CATEGORIES IN EACH GROUP]
Under $30,000 per year
$30,000 to less than $100,000 per year
$100,000 to less than $500,000 per year
$500,000 to less than $1 million per year
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$1 million to less than $5 million per year
$5 million or more per year
Don’t know [DO NOT READ] THANK AND TERMINATE
14. Have you participated in a discussion or focus group before? A focus group brings together a few
people in order to hear their opinion about a given subject.
Yes
No
Don’t know
[IF “YES” IN Q14]
15. When was the last time you attended a discussion or focus group?
Within the last 6 months [MAX 1 PER GROUP]
More than 6 months ago
Don’t know
[IF “YES” IN Q14]
16. How many focus groups have you attended in the last 5 years?
5 or less
More than 5 THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know
[IF “YES” IN Q14]
17. And what was/were the main topic(s) of discussion in those groups?
IF RELATED TO FOOD SAFETY REGULATION, THANK AND TERMINATE
18. This research will require participating in a video call online. Do you have access to a computer,
smartphone or tablet with high-speed internet which will allow you to participate in an online focus
group?
Yes
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know THANK AND TERMINATE
19. Does your computer/smartphone/tablet have a camera that will allow you to be visible to the
moderator and other participants as part of an online focus group?
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Yes
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know THANK AND TERMINATE
20. Do you have a personal email address so that we can send you information about the group and links
to login and join?
Yes RECORD
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know THANK AND TERMINATE
21. Participants in focus groups are asked to voice their opinions and thoughts. How comfortable are you
in voicing your opinions in front of others? Are you…? [READ LIST]
Very comfortable MINIMUM 3 PER GROUP
Fairly comfortable
Not very comfortable THANK AND TERMINATE
Not at all comfortable THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know [DON’T READ] THANK AND TERMINATE
22. Sometimes participants are asked to read text, review images, or type out answers during
the discussion. Given this, are you able to participate?
Yes
No
Don’t know
[IF “NO” OR “DON’T KNOW” IN Q22]
23. Is there something we can do to accommodate you? One solution would be to schedule a one-on-one
interview with the moderator. Is this something you would be interested in?
Yes COLLECT INFORMATION, AND PROMISE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THEM ON SCHEDULING
No THANK AND TERMINATE
[IF RESPONDENT SUGGESTS OTHER ACCOMODATIONS, RECORD AND PROMISE TO FOLLOW UP
WITH THEM]
24. Based on your responses, it looks like you have the profile we are looking for. I would like to invite you
to participate in a small group discussion, called an online focus group, we are conducting at [TIME], on
[DATE]
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As you may know, focus groups are used to gather information on a particular subject matter. The
discussion will consist of up to 6 people and will be very informal. It will last up to 90 minutes and you will
receive $350.00 as a thank you for your time.
Would you be willing to attend?
Yes RECORD AS A PARTICIPANT
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know THANK AND TERMINATE
Now I have a few questions that relate to privacy, your personal information and the research process.
We will need your consent on a few issues that enable us to conduct our research. As I run through these
questions, please feel free to ask me any questions you would like clarified.
25. First, we will be providing a list of respondents’ first names and some of your answers from these
recruitment questions to the moderator so that they can sign you into the group. Do we have your
permission to do this? I assure you it will be kept strictly confidential.
Yes [GO TO 27]
No [GO TO 26]
Don’t know [GO TO 26]
26. We need to provide the first names and background of the people attending the focus group because
only the individuals invited are allowed in the session and this information is necessary for verification
purposes. Please be assured that this information will be kept strictly confidential.
Now that you know this, do I have your permission to provide your first name and profile to the
moderator?
Yes
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know THANK AND TERMINATE
27. A recording of the group session will be produced for research purposes. The recording will be used
by the research professional to assist in preparing a report on the research findings and may be used by
the Government of Canada for internal reporting purposes. The recording will never be made public.
Do you agree to be recorded for research and reporting purposes only?
Yes [GO TO 29]
No [GO TO 28]
Don’t know [GO TO 28]
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28. It is necessary for the research process for us to record the session as the researchers need this
material to complete the report.
With this information, do I have your permission to be recorded for research and reporting purposes
only?
Yes
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know THANK AND TERMINATE
29. Employees from the Government of Canada may also be online to observe the groups.
Do you agree to be observed by Government of Canada employees?
Yes [GO TO 31]
No [GO TO 30]
Don’t know [GO TO 30]
30. It is standard focus group procedure to invite clients, in this case, Government of Canada employees,
to observe the groups online. They will be there simply to hear your opinions firsthand. They may take
their own notes and confer with the moderator on occasion to discuss whether there are any additional
questions to ask the group.
Do you agree to be observed by Government of Canada employees?
Yes
No THANK AND TERMINATE
Don’t know THANK AND TERMINATE
31. Thank you. You qualify to participate in one of our focus groups. As I mentioned earlier, the group
discussion will take place on [DATE] at [TIME] for up to 90 minutes.
Group # Region Language Time
We ask that you login at least 10 minutes early to be sure you are able to connect and to test your
camera, speaker, and microphone. If you require glasses for reading, please make sure you have them
handy as well.
As we are only inviting a small number of people, your participation is very important to us. If for some
reason you are unable to attend, please call us so that we may get someone to replace you. You can
reach us at [INSERT PHONE NUMBER].
Someone will call you in the days leading up to the focus group to remind you. So that we can call you to
remind you about the focus group or contact you should there be any changes, can you please confirm
your name and contact information for me?
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First name
Last Name
email [CONFIRM E-MAIL PROVIDED EARLIER]
Daytime phone number
Evening phone number
If the respondent refuses to give this information, please assure them that this information will be kept
strictly confidential in accordance with the privacy law and that it will only be used to contact them to
confirm their attendance and to inform them of any changes to the discussion group. If they still refuse
THANK & TERMINATE.
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Appendix E: General Focus Group Discussion Guide
1. Introductory Stage (10 min)
Welcome and greet each participant of the focus group. Introduce yourself and your role as a
moderator. Then, ask each participant to introduce themselves by their first name.
This virtual focus group discussion will be conducted on behalf of the CFIA (Canadian Food
Inspection Agency).
Our discussion will be focused on
(i) the view of Canadian businesses towards the Safe Food for Canadians Regulation (SFCR) and,
(ii) exploring how Canadian businesses feel about other food safety regulations, including
federal food regulations around online sales and importing, and labelling requirements
(including the labelling tools and resources available to the industry from the CFIA).
Our discussion will be approximately 90 minutes in length. However, please feel free to excuse
yourself any time during our session if you need to do so.
As per the Government of Canada standards for conducting public opinion research, I would like to
bring to your attention of --- and confirm your consent to --- the fact that this session will be both
audio and video recorded for the purpose of our analysis of our discussion, in case we need to
double-check the transcribed recorded audio against our notes. Moreover, representatives from the
CFIA will be also attending and/or be watching a recording of our virtual session afterwards. The
CFIA will use the recordings for internal purposes only, the recordings cannot and will not be shared
outside the Agency.
The entire discussion will remain completely confidential and no comment and/or response shall
be associated with any respondent --- in this regard, no names will be used and/or mentioned in
our final report.
As Moderator, I will ask some questions, listen to your answers, and do my best to give everyone a
chance to share their thoughts.
Please always feel free to express your thoughts and opinions, given that there are no right or
wrong answers. We will respect and value everyone’s opinion, so please give your honest opinion .
Given that I am not employed by the CFIA, I may not be able to answer some questions concerning
food safety regulations. However, if these questions arise, we will try to get an answer for you as
quickly as possible.
Introductions
Let’s go around and introduce ourselves. Please include your first name, what type of business you
work at, and what you do at the business.
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2. Awareness Towards the CFIA and CFIA Services (10 min)
What do you currently know about the CFIA?
How much interaction have you had with the CFIA in the past?
How do you get information from the CFIA?
3. Discussion Concerning the SFCR and Other Federal Food Safety Regulations (30 min)
How familiar are you with the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR)?
Probe: How do you feel about the SFCR in relation to your business?
Probe: Why do you feel this way about it?
Probe: Are you aware of any other federal food safety regulations? If so, could you name
them?
Would you describe yourself as having a good grasp of the federal food safety regulations that apply
to your business?
Probe: What is behind the confidence/lack of confidence?
Do you find them easy to understand?
Has anyone been to the CFIA website? What was your reason for visiting?
Probe: general thoughts? Did you find your answer/information you wanted?
Have you used the toolkit for business? Did you find it helpful?
Probe: Any specific part that was helpful? Any other pages helpful?
What are the biggest challenges that your business is facing in relation to complying to food safety
regulations in general?
Probe: Could you suggest any hypothetical causes to these challenges in question?
In an ideal world, what role do you think regulators should play in the food safety system?
Have you heard the term “outcome-based regulations?
What does this mean to you? Can you describe or provide an example?
What do you think of outcome-based regulations?
Probe: Generally positive or negative thoughts on outcome-based?
Probe: Confidence in properly incorporating regulations
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What do you think of when I say the term “Food safety culture”?
Probe: Initial reactions and thoughts?
Is this something your business has? How do you know?
Could you give an example of food safety culture?
Probe: Are there tangible things you do to create a food safety culture?
Probe: Is this industry-wide? Canada-wide? Or specific to a company?
As a growing business, what would you say are the things that impact you now in relation to food
safety regulations?
Do you believe that Canadian businesses have access to the right information about their
own roles and responsibilities within the food safety system?
In the past, have you, yourself, had any difficulty in accessing this information?
In general were you satisfied with how this information was communicated to you?
4. Creative from current campaign (30 minutes)
We are going to show you some creative concepts, we want to get your general feedback on how
effective these concepts are
Show concepts A&B, then C&D
For all advertisements:
What are your initial thoughts on these advertisements?
Would you click on it? Would it resonate with you? Why or why not?
What do you hope to see when you click?
What would be more likely to grab your attention? Something more informal or more
authoritative? Photo of real business owner versus graphic?
Does it look like a scam? Authentic?
For concept A & B:
This advertisement leads to this webpage: https://inspection.canada.ca/food-safety-for-
industry/food-safety-rules-for-small-business/eng/1643050798737/1643050800221
Is this what you would hope to see when you click?
Probe: Does it resonate with you and your understanding of the regulations?
For concept C & D:
Does anyone here sell products from another country? Do you see yourself as an importer?
Probe: Would this advertisement resonate?
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This advertisement leads to the same webpage (show as needed). Is this what you would hope
to see when you click?
Probe: Does it resonate with you and your understanding of the regulations?
Probe: Who would find this webpage useful?
Probe: What do you think they are trying to get at it with this webpage?
Is one type of advertisement better suited to that landing page?
5. Conclusion (10 min)
Consult with CFIA representatives for any further questions.
Roundtable: Do you have any further suggestion on how to improve communications concerning (i)
information about the CFIA and CFIA services, (ii) federal food safety regulations and (iii) a
businesses’ roles and responsibilities within the food safety system.
Concluding remarks and thanks.
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Concept A:
Concept B:
Concept C:
Concept D:
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Appendix F: Ask CFIA Focus Group Discussion Guide
1. Introductions (10 min)
Welcome and greet each participant of the focus group. Introduce yourself and your role as a
moderator. Then, ask each participant to introduce themselves by their first name.
This virtual focus group discussion will be conducted on behalf of the CFIA (Canadian Food
Inspection Agency).
Our discussion will be focused on the view of Canadian businesses on the way the CFIA handles
various enquiries.
Our discussion will be approximately 90 minutes in length. However, please feel free to excuse
yourself any time during our session if you need to do so.
As per the Government of Canada standards for conducting public opinion research, I would like to
bring to your attention of --- and confirm your consent to --- the fact that this session will be both
audio and video recorded for the purpose of our analysis of our discussion, in case we need to
double-check the transcribed recorded audio against our notes. Moreover, representatives from the
CFIA may be attending and/or be watching a recording of our virtual session afterwards. The CFIA
will use the recordings for internal purposes only, the recordings cannot and will not be shared
outside the Agency.
The entire discussion will remain completely confidential and no comment and/or response shall
be associated with any respondent --- in this regard, no names will be used and/or mentioned in
our final report.
As Moderator, I will ask some questions, listen to your answers, and do my best to give everyone a
chance to share their thoughts.
Please always feel free to express your thoughts and opinions, given that there are no right or
wrong answers. We will respect and value everyone’s opinion, so please give your honest opinion .
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Given that I am not employed by the CFIA, I may not be able to answer some questions concerning
food safety regulations. However, if these questions arise, we will try to get an answer for you as
quickly as possible.
Introductions
Let’s go around and introduce ourselves. Please include your first name, what type of business you
work at, and what you do at the business.
2. General enquiry experience with the CFIA (30 minutes)
On the whole, how often does your company have questions about the food safety regulations?
Probe: Reasons for asking the questions – specific areas not clear?
What do you know about the process of submitting questions to the CFIA? How do you do it?
Probe: Do you know where your questions go? Which unit?
What are some challenges to submitting your questions to the appropriate group in the CFIA?
How would you say the CFIA is at responding to questions in general?
There are multiple channels available for questions, including Local/Regional Offices, Public
Enquiries, My CFIA, Ask CFIA, National Centre for Permissions, National Import Service Centre. Can
we talk about the ones you’re familiar with?
Probe: Would you be able to tell me why someone would use one channel over another? (For
example, the kind of questions or concerns for each channel)
We are going to talk about specific questions today about food safety regulation guidance. How do
you to get guidance on CFIA food safety regulations?
I would like to talk about your process before asking a question through any of the specific channels.
Do you look for the answer yourself before asking the CFIA?
Probe: How long would you say you spend looking for information on food safety regulation?
Where do you look?
Who spends time on the CFIA website? What do you think of it?
Probe: Any specific areas come to mind as helpful or unhelpful?
Do you have other contacts at the Agency, maybe emails or phone numbers?
Probe: What is your preferred way of contacting the Agency?
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3. Experience with Ask CFIA (30 minutes)
We’ve already mentioned Ask CFIA, and you have been recruited here as you have been asked a
question that has gone to the Ask CFIA unit. How many times have you used Ask CFIA?
Did you know your question was responded to by the Ask CFIA unit?
Probe: Did you originally submit your question to a different channel?
Ask CFIA is a service to provide the food industry with one point of entry through the online ‘contact
us' form to ask questions to help you understand and comply with current food regulatory
requirements. Ask CFIA provides written guidance on food regulatory questions submitted by
Canadian businesses and non-resident importers (NRI) eligible to hold a Safe Food for Canadians
(SFC) licence.
What did you think of the answers you’ve received from Ask CFIA?
What does your ideal enquiry response look like from Ask CFIA?
Probe: Do the responses from Ask CFIA help you understand and comply with current food
regulatory requirements?
Probe: What are some alternative ways that you have tried to get a response to food regulatory
questions? Did you try to contact the Agency a different way? If you contacted the Agency a
different way, what other channel/s did you use?
Why did you use Ask CFIA and not another channel --- such as My CFIA or National Centre for
Permissions --- to contact the CFIA?
Probe: As far as you know, did any of your questions get directed to another department by Ask
CFIA?
Has anyone used Ask CFIA going back a few years?
Probe: Would you say that the service has changed over time?
Probe: What has changed?
Probe: Have Ask CFIA answers become clearer over time?
Probe: How did these changes impact your experience with Ask CFIA?
If Ask CFIA were to be discontinued how would you be affected?
4. Conclusion (20 minutes)
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Consult with CFIA representatives for any further questions.
Do you have any experience asking questions with other department? Do you have a similar enquiry
experience when asking them a question?
Probe: Online written services vs telephone vs in-person vs website
Do you have other ideas/suggestions for an improved service for Ask CFIA?
Is there anything else you would like to add concerning our discussion today?
Concluding remarks and thanks.
Appendix G: Ask CFIA IDI Discussion Guide
1. Introductory Stage
Welcome and greet participant of the IDI. Introduce yourself and your role as interviewer. Then, ask
participant to introduce themselves by their first name and describe their job.
This in-depth interview will be conducted on behalf of the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection
Agency).
Our discussion will be focused on the view of Canadian businesses on the way the CFIA handles
various enquiries.
Our discussion will be approximately 45 minutes in length.
As per the Government of Canada standards for conducting public opinion research, I would like
to bring to your attention of --- and confirm your consent to --- the fact that this session will be
both audio and video recorded for the purpose of our analysis of our discussion, in case we need
to double-check the transcribed recorded audio against our notes. Moreover, representatives
from the CFIA may be attending and/or be watching a recording of our virtual session
afterwards. The CFIA will use the recordings for internal purposes only, the recordings cannot
and will not be shared outside the Agency.
The entire discussion will remain completely confidential and no comment and/or response
shall be associated with any respondent --- in this regard, no names will be used and/or
mentioned in our final report.
As interviewer, I will ask some questions, listen to your answers, and do my best to give
everyone a chance to share their thoughts.
Please always feel free to express your thoughts and opinions, given that there are no right or
wrong answers. We will respect and value everyone’s opinion, so please give your honest
opinion.
Given that I am not employed by the CFIA, I may not be able to answer some questions
concerning food safety regulations. However, if these questions arise, we will try to get an
answer for you as quickly as possible.
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2. General enquiry experience with the CFIA
On the whole, how often do you work with companies who have questions about the food safety
regulations?
Probe: Reasons for asking the questions – specific areas not clear?
Probe: Why do they use you to ask questions instead of asking themselves?
What do you know about the process of submitting questions to the CFIA? How do you do it?
Probe: Do you know where your questions go? Which unit?
Probe: What are some challenges to submitting your questions to the appropriate group in the
CFIA?
How would you say the CFIA is at responding to questions in general?
There are multiple channels available for questions, including Local/Regional Offices, Public
Enquiries, My CFIA, Ask CFIA, National Centre for Permissions, National Import Service Centre. Can
we talk about the ones you’re familiar with?
Do you spend time on the CFIA website, what do you think? Any specific areas come to mind as
helpful or unhelpful?
Do you have other contacts at the Agency, maybe emails or phone numbers?
Probe: What is your preferred way of contacting the Agency?
3. Experience with Ask CFIA
We’ve already mentioned Ask CFIA, and you have been recruited here as you have been asked a
question that has gone to the Ask CFIA unit. How many times have you used Ask CFIA?
What did you think of the answers you’ve received from Ask CFIA?
What does your ideal enquiry response look like from Ask CFIA?
Probe: Do the responses from Ask CFIA help your clients understand and comply with current
food regulatory requirements?
Probe: What are some alternative ways that you have tried to get a response to food regulatory
questions? Did you try to contact the Agency a different way? If you contacted the Agency a
different way, what other channel/s did you use?
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Have you used Ask CFIA going back a few years?
Probe: Would you say that the service has changed over time?
Probe: What has changed?
Probe: Have Ask CFIA answers become clearer over time?
Probe: How did these changes impact your experience with Ask CFIA?
Do you have any experience asking questions with other department? Do you have a similar enquiry
experience when asking them a question?
Probe: Online written services vs telephone vs in-person vs website
4. Conclusion
Do you have other ideas/suggestions for an improved service for Ask CFIA?
Is there anything else you would like to add concerning our discussion today?
Concluding remarks and thanks.
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Appendix H: Ask CFIA Survey Questionnaire
Introduction
Thank you for participating in this important survey.
As mentioned in the email invitation, Pollara Strategic Insights – one of Canada’s leading research firms
– is conducting this survey on behalf of the Government of Canada.
Your participation is voluntary, confidential and anonymous. The information you provide will be
administered according to the requirements of the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection
and Electronic Documents Act. No one working for the Government of Canada will ever see your
individual survey responses, they will only see data that is anonymous, and averaged together from
among all the survey respondents.
The survey will take about 5 minutes to complete. To proceed with the survey in English, click here.
Should you have any questions about the survey, you can contact a Pollara representative at
information@pollara.com, or a representative of the Government of Canada at
cfia.information.acia@inspection.gc.ca.
[INCLUDE FRENCH TRANSLATION BELOW ON ENGLISH LANDING PAGE. FLIP ORDER ON FRENCH
LANDING PAGE.]
Ask CFIA
F1. Ask CFIA is a service to provide the food industry with one point of entry through the online ‘contact
us’ form to ask questions to help you understand and comply with current food regulatory
requirements. Ask CFIA provides written guidance on food regulatory questions submitted by Canadian
businesses and non-resident importers (NRI) eligible to hold a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence.
Based on this definition, do you think that any of your contact with the CFIA has ever involved using the
Ask CFIA service?
Yes 1
No 2
Don’t know 98
[THANK AND TERMINATE IF F1 = 2 OR 98]
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F2. In the last year approximately how many times have you used the Ask CFIA service?
Did not use in past year 1
1 time 2
2 times 3
3 times 4
4 times 5
5 or more 6
Don’t know 98
F3. What topic did your question(s) to the Ask CFIA service relate to? Select all that apply. [randomize,
with 77, 88, and 99 anchored]
Labelling and composition 1
Importing 2
Exporting 3
Traceability 4
Preventive controls 5
Starting a food business 6
Applying for a licence 7
Other, please specify:_____ 77
Don’t know 98
Prefer not to say 99
F4. Why did you decide to use the Ask CFIA service? Select all that apply.
Couldn't find information needed after searching on the CFIA website 1
Heard about Ask CFIA from someone else 2
Information found elsewhere wasn't clear 3
Question was complicated / complex 4
Didn’t realize I was using Ask CFIA (just completed the contact CFIA form) 5
Other, please specify:_____ 77
Don’t know 98
Prefer not to say 99
F5. Rate your overall level of satisfaction with the Ask CFIA service. Please use a scale of 1 to 7, where 1
means not at all satisfied and 7 means very satisfied.
1 – Not at all satisfied 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
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6 6
7– Very satisfied 7
Don't know 98
Prefer not to say 99
[SKIP IF F5 = 98 OR 99]
F6. Why did you provide that rating? Please be specific about positives and negatives associated with
your experience. [ASK OPEN]
F7. Rate your level of satisfaction with the following. Please use the same scale of 1 to 7, where 1 means
not at all satisfied and 7 means very satisfied:
I.
The ease of using Ask CFIA
II.
The level of clarity in the Ask CFIA response to your enquiry
III.
The amount of time it took to respond to your enquiry
IV.
The level of detail in the Ask CFIA response to your enquiry
V.
Ask CFIA's support of your business to increase your awareness and understanding of food
regulatory requirements
VI.
Ask CFIA's support of your business to achieve compliance with food regulatory requirements
1 – Not at all satisfied 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7– Very satisfied 7
Don't know 98
Prefer not to say 99
F8. What element is most important to you or your organization when using “Ask CFIA”?
Ease of use 1
Clarity of response 2
Speed of response 3
Level of detail in response 4
Other, please specify: 77
Don’t know 98
F9. Thinking about the overall value to you or your organization of getting the answer in writing from
Ask CFIA, how valuable to you was the answer? Use a scale of 1-7 where 1 is not at all valuable and 7 is
very valuable.
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1 – Not at all valuable 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 – Very valuable 7
Don't know 98
Prefer not to say 99
F10. How likely would you be to use “Ask CFIA” in the future. Please use a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is not
at all likely and 7 is very likely?
1 – Not at all likely 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 – Very likely 7
Don't know 98
Prefer not to say 99
F11. Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience using the Ask CFIA service?
[ASK OPEN]
Demographics
Thank you for your answers. We just have a few final demographic questions to classify your responses.
D1. In what province or territory do you live?
British Columbia 1
Alberta 2
Saskatchewan 3
Manitoba 4
Ontario 5
Quebec 6
New Brunswick 7
Nova Scotia 8
Prince Edward Island 9
Newfoundland and Labrador 10
Yukon 11
Northwest Territories 12
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Nunavut 13
Other (please specify): 77
Prefer not to say 99
D2. In what year were you born? [INCLUDE DROP DOWN LIST OF YEARS, WITH “PREFER NOT TO SAY”
OPTION]
D3. With what gender do you identify?
Male 1
Female 2
Other 3
Prefer not to say 99
D4. Which of the following categories best describes your business?
Small business 1
Commercial industry 2
Industry association 3
Industry consultant 4
Other (please specify): 77
Don’t know 98
Prefer not to say 99
D5. Which of the following categories best describes your business’ focus?
Agriculture 1
Processor or manufacturer 2
Wholesale or distributor 3
Retail 4
Other (please specify): _____ 77
Don’t know 98
Prefer not to say 99
D6. Approximately how many people, including yourself, does your company employ in Canada? If you
are a franchise, please only consider your location.
1 to 4 1
5 to 99 2
100 to 499 3
500 or more 4
Don’t know 98
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Prefer not to say 99
D7. Approximately what was your businesses’ gross annual revenue for your Canadian operations last
year? Again, if you are a franchise, please only consider your location.
$30,000 or less 1
$30,000 to less than $100,000 2
$100,000 to less than $500,000 3
$500,000 to less than $1 million 4
$1 million to less than $5 million 5
$5 million or more 6
Don’t know 98
Prefer not to say 99