1. CFIA Import Requirements for Food Products May 3, 2017
Food Forum for Industry and Government in Southwestern Ontario (FFIGS)

2. Scope of this Presentation
Provide an overview of CFIA Import Requirements for Food Products

3. Food Imports Key contributing factors for increase
in food imports include:
Economic globalization
Ethnic diversity
Lower cost production and
Better technology and ability to transport various products.
Increasing demands means an increased risk of undeclared or improperly declared imports.

4. http://www.inspection.gc.ca Imports Plant Food Animal
Importers must adhere to Canadian Regulatory Requirements
Irrespective of what Method/Mode of transportation is used.
Imports
Plant
Food
Animal

5. Canadian Agencies Responsible for Importation of Animals, Plants & Food
Canadian Border Services Agency
(CBSA)
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(CFIA)
MOU
Outlines administrative & operational roles and responsibilities of each agency

6. Roles & Responsibilities of CBSA and CFIA
Present at border entry points
Initial import inspection services
Acts & Regs administered by CFIA
CFIA
Within Canada & at National Import Service Centre (NISC)
Enforces Acts & Regs

7. CFIA- Programs and Services For Commercial Importers
National Import Service Centre
NISC
Automated Import Reference System
AIRS
Good Importing Practices for Food
Guide to Importing Foods Commercially
What Food Products Can I Bring into Canada
Be Aware and Declare!
Guidance Documents
New
Licensing, permitting, registration
Centres of Administration
CFIA- Programs and Services For Commercial Importers

8. CFIA- National Import Service Centre (NISC)
Brokers
Importers
CBSA
Public
Single window of service
Import information for all commodities regulated by CFIA
7:00 a.m. to 03:00 a.m. (Eastern Time), seven days a week.
Telephone : (Canada or U.S.A.) (local calls and all other countries) Facsimile:

9. CFIA- National Import Service Centre (NISC)
NISC specialists process Import request documentation sent by the importing community
NISC specialists handle telephone enquiries
NISC specialists make recommendation for release approval to CBSA (either electronically or paper stamped)
CBSA relays the decision to the broker

10. CFIA- Automated Import Reference System(AIRS)
On-line resource tool for CBSA, brokers, importers and the general public
It is user-friendly, searchable database of CFIA import requirements
The system leads users through a series of questions and answers to provide information on all CFIA import requirements for specific commodities and applicable regulations and policies
Then click on Automated Import Reference System

11. CFIA- Automated Import Reference System(AIRS)

13. Country of Origin, end use
Click for
OGD extension ,
Country of Origin, end use

15. Import Process
Check AIRS to check admissibility as well as requirements prior to importation of products
All CFIA regulated commodities including Food Products have to be declared to CFIA and CBSA
Harmonized system (HS) codes are used
International Standard: Items are identified by internationally recognized 6-digit  number
The first 6 digits of the HS Code are same for both CFIA and CBSA.
The remaining digits are Other governmental department codes.
Importers and their Brokers have to provide HS coding to meet both CBSA and CFIA requirements
CFIA
the broker has to use the OGD extension from AIRS to declare origin, destination, end use and miscellaneous qualifiers of the product.
CBSA
uses HS Code (first 6 digits) for tariff classification plus two digits set by Department of Finance and the last 2 digits by Statistics Canada for Custom tariff purposes
Correct declaration allows for accurate assessment of the risks involved.

16. Milk and Regulated Milk Products for Human Consumption
Milk and regulated milk products as per the Health of Animals Regulations are:
Milk (lacteal secretion obtained from the mammary gland of any ruminant): Partly Skimmed Milk; Skim Milk;
Cream;
Butter;
Buttermilk;
Butter Oil or Ghee;
Whey; Whey Butter; Whey Cream in concentrated, dried, frozen or reconstituted or fresh form,
Requirements based on Species and animal health status of the country of Origin.
These commodities might be refused from certain countries based on health animal health status of the country

17. Meat Products for Human Consumption
Exporting Country must have an equivalent meat inspection system
Legislation
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Program (HACCP)
Disease surveillance programs
Veterinary infrastructure
Approval is for each species: chicken, beef , pork
Certain types of meat product may not be approved. Refer to Chapter 10, Annex A of the Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures for a list of approved products.

18. Country Eligibility
Chapter 10: Annex A 18

19. Fish Products for Human Consumption
A valid Fish import licence is required for all products
This is irrespective of the percent of fish ingredient in the product
CFIA needs to be Notified By Importer within 48 hours of the shipment's arrival in Canada
The product cannot be released for distribution in Canada until notified by a CFIA fish inspector

20. Produce
Import requirements vary based on product as well as country of origin.
Certain countries/states/counties might have restriction on a species of fresh fruits and vegetable based on plant health risk involved from pests in the region and the status of importing province/county
These commodities might require a phytosanitary certificate and/ or an import permit depending on risk associated with commodity and Country of Origin.

21. Food Labelling
It is the responsibility of all regulated parties to comply with the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (CPLA). Food labelling enable consumers to make informed food choices based on information that is truthful and not misleading.
CFIA has an Online Labelling Tool - Food Labelling for Industry to learn about food labelling requirements in Canada:

23. Safe Food for Canadians Act
The proposed Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) introduce modern food safety requirements for businesses that import food, or prepare food to be exported or sold across provinces.
Quick facts
The 90-day consultation closed on April 21, 2017.
The proposal consolidates 14 sets of existing regulations into one.
The CFIA has consulted stakeholders on this initiative since 2013, including a targeted consultation with small businesses in 2015.
Information and guidance is available to explain key elements of the proposal and what would be expected of food businesses, including videos, interactive tools, fact sheets, templates and a handbook.

24. Imports: A Shared Responsibility
The industry, the importers, the brokers, the transporters and all the participants to the international trade plays an important role in keeping Canada's food, plants and animals safe.

25. Area Import Coordinator Ontario Import Surveillance Team
Thank You Aditi Behl
Area Import Coordinator Ontario Import Surveillance Team
Tel: