That loaf of bread may not be organic, as the label says. That package of ground beef may have pork in it. That bottle of extra-virgin olive oil may not be pure.

Metro Vancouver residents may never know. And that’s because the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s unit dedicated to protecting consumers in the region has been disbanded.

The Metro Vancouver Consumer Protection Inspectorate was dissolved at the end of January this year, representatives of the Public Service Alliance of Canada disclosed Tuesday (April 22).

“It’s buyer beware, literally,” Bob Kingston, president of PSAC’s Agriculture Union, said at a Vancouver news conference.

Kingston explained that consumer protection involves food fraud and health issues. It also has a bearing on food choices based on religion.

“There’s a lot of people making health choices these days based on what the labels say, both in terms of things like the nutrition information but also even species information,” Kingston said. “It’s a big difference in terms of oil contents and other substances in the product. We’re talking organic versus nonorganic.
If the person has some kind of chemical sensitivity, it’s a huge thing. And people should be entitled to know what they’re consuming.”

The unit used to have four inspectors checking product descriptions and claims, weights, and retail food displays. They were reassigned to other CFIA teams, Kingston said.

Bob Jackson, PSAC’s vice-president for B.C., blamed cuts to the CFIA’s budget.

Jackson said that the government plans to slash the agency’s food-safety program by $35 million and 192 food-safety positions by fiscal year 2016-17.

In the federal budget unveiled last February, the government announced that it will put an additional $390 million over five years into Canada’s food-safety system. This will cover the hiring of 200 extra inspectors and other staff, as well as other initiatives.

Kingston claimed that the $390 million is “not new money”. As for the new hires, Kingston said: “It would be good to know where they are.”

The CFIA didn’t make a spokesperson available for an interview with the Straight. The agency provided a prepared statement that referred to “a realignment of staff in the Vancouver area” to “maximize food safety oversight”.