The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is reminding industry on the Government of Canada’s new Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) are coming into force on January 15, 2019 and will require that food imported into Canada meets the same food safety outcomes and has been prepared with the same level of food safety controls as food prepared in Canada.
Food Importers will require a licence from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to import food into Canada. Depending on the food commodity you are importing, the import licence requirement will apply as of January 15, 2019 or July 15, 2020. To find out if you need a licence and when you need a licence, refer to the licensing interactive tool and the timelines resources on the CFIA website.
Food businesses should enroll now in My CFIA and be prepared to apply for a licence once it becomes available. In order to apply for a licence, businesses will need to attest that they have preventive controls in place. Those who submit an SFCR licence application by email or fax will be redirected to apply online using My CFIA. The CFIA has proposed a $250 fee for the SFCR licence. This fee amount will be confirmed prior to coming into force on January 15, 2019.
For those foods that require an importer to have a licence on January 15, 2019, consider the following important points.
- CFIA’s Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) will be updated to include admissibility requirements that reflect the SFCR licence number as a condition to import these foods into Canada.
- There are many importers that may already hold an existing valid licence or registration issued by the CFIA. These include those listed below, as issued before January 15th, 2019 under the authorities of the Canada Agricultural Products Act (CAPA), Meat Inspection Act (MIA) or Fish Inspection Act (FIA). For the first year, as part of the transition, any importer that holds one of the following valid registrations or licences can temporarily use this number in place of a SFCR licence (until it expires).
| – Licence to operate a registered meat establishment | – Quality Management Program for Importers (QMPI) fish licence |
| – Fish import licence (basic) | – Cheese import licence |
| – Dairy establishment registration | – Registered Produce Warehouses (RPW) establishment registration |
| – Honey establishment registration | – Maple establishment registration |
| – Processed products establishment registration |
Note: This valid registration or licence must include the statement below. If you have renewed or applied for a licence or registration with the CFIA in the last couple of years this statement would have been automatically added to your licence or registration.
“This certificate is issued in accordance with the [name the Regulations]. This registration, licence, permit or authorization is also a licence that is issued under the Safe Food for Canadians Act upon its commencement day.”
- Once the existing registration or licence expires, importers will need to have a licence issued under the SFCR in order to continue their import activity. Consider beginning the process now by visiting My CFIA and creating an account and business profile. Once enrolled, you will have taken the first step to apply for a licence when needed. More details are available on the Licensing web page.
Keep in mind that during this transition period you will also have to meet the other requirements of the SFCR, including the requirement for a preventive control plan.
Additional information on the SFCR for importers is available on the CFIA web page Food imports.
New Guides now available
On the Meat products and food animal site, now find:
- Poultry Pathogen Reduction Program
- Food animal information document for poultry
- Poultry reexamination program
On the Food imports site, now find:
On the Licensing site, now find:
Updated Information
- Four new terms have been added to the SFCR: Glossary of key terms: Farmed game animal, Insignificant quantity, Veterinarian with supervisory authority, and Wild game animal.
- On the Timelines site, guidance on calculating gross annual food sales and number of employees has been added to the following timetables: Fresh fruit or vegetables, Honey and maple products, Unprocessed food used as grain, oil, pulse, sugar or beverage, All other foods.
If you have questions, fill out our feedback form or call 1-800-442-2342.