The following is provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
This message is to provide advance notice to importers of fresh fruits and vegetables that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be implementing temporary import conditions for U.S. romaine lettuce again this fall 2023. This temporary measure is intended to mitigate the higher risk of E. coli O157 contamination of romaine lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley, California during the fall months.
Similar measures were implemented in fall 2020 to 2022. From September 28 to December 20, 2023, importers of romaine lettuce and/or salad mixes containing romaine lettuce will be required to comply with temporary additional Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence conditions.
During this period, the CFIA will require importers to submit attestation forms and Certificates of Analysis to confirm that the romaine lettuce does not contain detectable levels of E. coli O157:H7 if the lettuce was grown in the Salinas Valley. A Proof of Origin will be required for U.S. romaine lettuce products that are from areas outside of the Salinas Valley.
The complete information will be published on the CFIA website and communicated to fresh fruit and vegetable importers through MyCFIA messaging in the coming weeks, well in advance of the implementation date.
Questions or concerns should be directed to our Canadian regulatory team.