The complainant alleged that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) improperly withheld information under subsection 19(1) (personal information) and paragraphs 20(1)(b) (confidential third-party financial, commercial, scientific or technical information) and 20(1)(c) (financial impact on a third party) of the Access to Information Act in response to an access request for a copy of the full Issue Detail Report for Food Complaint number 112063. This allegation falls under paragraph 30(1)(a).

The complainant also alleged that the CFIA improperly redacted the information in white (negative redactions) in response to the above-noted access request making it difficult to determine which portions were redacted. This allegation falls under paragraph 30(1)(f).

During the investigation, the complainant decided it was no longer necessary for the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) to investigate the information withheld under subsection 19(1).

Neither the CFIA nor the third party to whom the information relates established that information other than supplier names and internal process details met all the requirements set out in paragraphs 20(1)(b) and 20(1)(c).

The Information Commissioner ordered that the CFIA disclose all third-party information included in the report, except for the names of the third party’s suppliers, information describing procedural details, and specific process for weighing products. The Information Commissioner also recommended that the CFIA cease the use of negative (white) redactions, as required by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Directive on Access to Information. The CFIA gave notice to the Commissioner that it would be implementing the order and recommendation.

The complaint is well founded.