News & Events


Culinary Steam Regulation Update

On January 15th 2019, the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SRCA and SFCR), will come into effect, which will require food processing facilities to have Licenses as well as Preventative Control Plans (PCP’s) outlining actions to address potential risks to food safety.

AquaAnalytics understands that safe food supply is a major contributing factor to the health of Canadians. We are committed to abiding by the most recent industry standards and regulations set by Health Canada and want to ensure you do as well. We are more than just a water treatment provider, we are your partner.

There are important timelines that we would like to bring to your attention to help with your transition plan to meet regulatory requirements. Once the SFCR comes into effect, there are requirements that must be met immediately and others that will be phased over 12-30 months based on, type of activity, food commodity and overall business size. For more information on the timelines that apply to your business, check out this Link.

Where Does AquaAnalytics Fit Into Your Preventative Control Plan?

AquaAnalytics is your water treatment partner. Our extensive list of food and beverage clients have culinary steam applications impacted by the SFCR. With the SFCR coming into effect, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) released guidelines for preventive controls for food businesses with regards to culinary steam. Since CFIA’s publication, there has been some confusion in the marketplace regarding the use of amine-based water treatment programs and we want to ensure you feel confident and supported as our clients in this aspect of your control plan. AquaAnalytics has confirmed with the CFIA that Boiler Water Additives that are intended for use in food premises, listed in the table below can continue to be used after January 15th, 2019 provided that they are used as intended and within the maximum limits set within your AquaAnalytics water treatment program (see table below).

There continues to be no objection to the use of blends of chemicals listed above provided that the total amine concentration of steam does not exceed 25 ppm. Also of importance, steam treated with the above chemicals is not considered to be acceptable for use in the processing of milk and milk products.

Since culinary steam may come into direct contact with food, it is important that the water used to manufacture the steam is sourced, treated and handled in a way to minimize contamination. In an effort to minimize risk of contamination, always use AquaAnalytics products as directed by your AquaAnalytics representative, and following the direction of use statements of the product label.

AquaAnalytics is your preferred water treatment partner. We encourage you to talk to your account managers if water treatment questions come up during the preparation of your Preventative Control Plan. We also have expertise within our internal resources to support your team and answer your questions.

What Alternatives Can Be Used To Minimize Contamination?

Though amine-based chemistry is an effective and approved approach to corrosion control in steam and condensate networks, alternatives do exist. In alignment with the American Society of Mechanical Engineer (ASME) Consensus on Operating Practices Boiler and Feedwater, AquaAnalytics believes that “where a choice is available, the reduction or removal of objectionable constituents by pretreatment external to the boiler is always preferable to, and more reliable than, management of these constituents within the boiler by internal chemical treatment.” Many alternatives exist to reduce or eliminate the use of amine-based products at your site. The two preferred alternatives are reverse osmosis (RO) and dealkalizers. The blog on this Link covers the benefits of a dealkalizer on your steam system. Your AquaAnalytics account manager can prepare a site-specific comparison of RO vs. dealkalizer and quantify the payback specific to your site.

What Documentation Can AquaAnalytics Provide?

Currently, there are various options available to demonstrate acceptability and safe intended use of non-food chemicals, all of which have been outlined below for you:

  • Product is included in CFIA Reference Listing
  • Product was previously issued CFIA Letter of Acceptance (LOA)
  • Product has a Health Canada Letter of No Objection (LONO)
  • Product has a supplier or manufacturer Letter of Guarantee (LOG)

Upon request, your Account Manager can provide LOG’s ,LOA’s and/or LONO’s to help support your due diligence with regards to your Preventative Control Plan.

The AquaAnalytics Partnership

We believe water treatment needs to be a partnership. Like in all partnerships, we need to question the status quo, challenge our preconceived notions and push each other to a higher level. This is done through education and constant two-way communication. Keep challenging us, keep asking questions, and let’s elevate how we can best support you.

Categories:  Water Treatment