The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) advises importers and brokers that in the week of December 14, 2020, the organic import and admissibility requirements for processed products of chapter 20 will be incorporated into AIRS, in accordance with clause 357(3) of Part 13 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. The organic certificate will be required to accompany the shipment and be declared at the time of import.
Chapter 20 of the Customs Tariff includes processed vegetables, fruits, nuts and other parts of plants, jams, marmalades, purees and more.
Anyone who imports organic products must be able to present a valid organic certificate when requested at any time, including at the time of import. The organic certificate must be issued by a certification body that is accredited by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), or by an accredited certification body recognized under an existing organic equivalency agreement between Canada and a foreign country.
Importers of organic commodities for which the import requirements are included in AIRS will be required to submit a digital copy of the organic product certificate when declaring organic products online using the Integrated Import Declaration (IID) system. The new OGD codes in AIRS will differentiate organic products from conventional products. It is the responsibility of the importer to familiarize themselves with the new codes and comply with the import requirements.
The organic product certificate must include the name of the product being imported and is issued by the Certification Body of the last operator or company that handled the product before being shipped to Canada. The organic product certificate must be submitted with each shipment in the Integrated Import Declaration system.
The organic import requirements into the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) is being incorporated in a phase-in approach which began back in 2019. The import admissibility requirements for organic fresh fruits and vegetables, organic seeds and grains, organic honey and maple products, organic eggs and shell egg products have already been incorporated into AIRS as per Part 13 of the SFCR.
Starting in 2022, importers of organic commodities for which the import requirements are included in AIRS will be required to submit a digital copy of the organic product certificate when declaring organic products online using the Integrated Import Declaration (IID) system.
Learn more on Organic Products under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and updates.
If you have questions, contact the Canada Organic Regime team, at cfia.opr-rpb.acia@canada.ca.