New Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR)
New Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR)
Important Reminder
In order to import food regulated under the Safe Food for Canadian Regulations (SFCR), importers must be in possession of a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) license. A valid SFC license is required prior to the importation of the goods and cannot be obtained at time of import.
A valid SFC license to import must be:
active (not expired, surrendered, suspended or cancelled)
issued for the activity "Importing Food"
issued for the commodities that are being imported
Beginning February 12, 2024, a valid SFC license will be required and must be declared at time of import to prevent clearance delays when importing manufactured foods into Canada. This would include food products that fall under, but are not limited to, the following sub-commodities:
Alcoholic beverages
Confectionary, sweeteners, snack foods
Nuts, grains, seeds
Grain derived foods (e.g., bread products, rice, pasta)
Spices, herbs, flavours, condiments, dressings
Fats and oils,
Infant foods (e.g., liquid and powdered formulas)
Foods not otherwise listed
In addition, the following food imports will continue to be rejected by the Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) if a valid SFC License and/or a SFC license number is not provided at time of import.
Meat
Fish
Dairy
Eggs
Processed Eggs
Processed Fruits and Vegetables
Honey
Maple
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
For more information, please visit the CFIA Importing food with a valid Safe Food for Canadians License article on the Government of Canada website.
See Next Steps
Background
The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) under the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) came into effect January 15, 2019. Under the SFCR, businesses that import and/or export food for human consumption as the importer of record (resident or non-resident) or that trade food interprovincially, may require updates to their existing licenses or be required to apply for new SFC licenses. In addition, preventative controls and traceability measures may be needed for certain commodities to ensure a sufficient process is in place to prevent and address food safety concerns.
SFCR implementation was a staged rollout where some requirements came into effect immediately, while others were phased in over a period of 12-30 months. Shipments for personal (casual) use are exempt from SFCR when shipped in acceptable quantities.
Next Steps
To avoid any potential clearance delays/issues, we strongly recommend that food businesses provide all current License, Permit, Certificate, and Other document (LCPO) and new SFC License numbers/information (once applicable) to FedEx as soon as possible. You can email this information directly to the FedEx Clearance Help Desk at clearancehelpline@fedex.com.
Interactive tools and timelines are available at the CFIA website to assist businesses in determining if, and when SFCR will apply to their commodities. Guidance Finder is also available as an advanced search tool to enable importers and exporters to search for applicable requirements by specifying activity type, food commodity, method of production and document type.
It is highly recommended that businesses who require or will require SFC licenses, create an account and sign up for My CFIA to begin their application process. The My CFIA service will provide access to all CFIA on-line services including the application for permissions (licenses, permits, registrations, authorizations, export certificates) required under the new SFCR. The CFIA will not accept any applications sent by fax or email.
Valid SFC licenses may assist food businesses to access U.S. markets because these licenses can be used by U.S. importers to validate that their food suppliers meet the required preventative safety standards under the Food Suppliers Verification Program (FSVP), as mandated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Non-Resident Importer (NRI) Food Businesses
SFCR for food importations apply to both resident importer and non-resident importer (NRI) businesses, however, SFC licenses will only be issued to NRIs if they meet the following conditions:
Operate a fixed place of business in, and ship food directly from, a foreign country the CFIA has recognized as having equivalent food safety standards as Canada
Ship only specified foods that have been CFIA approved, for import by an NRI, for the country in which they are being exported
Maintain records of all import transactions in English or French that are readily available for review by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the CFIA, upon request
A list of all recognized foreign countries, and the approved food commodities for importation by an NRI for each country is available on the CFIA website. Food commodities that are not approved for import by an NRI may be imported by a resident importer (Canadian business) with the appropriate LCPOs. Specific import requirements for food importations are available in the CFIA Automated Import Reference System (AIRS).
Important Information