On July 15, 2020, new requirements relating to licensing, preventive controls and traceability under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) begin to apply to businesses in the manufactured food sector (e.g. bakery products, confectionery goods, dried herbs and spices, grain-based foods such as pasta and rice, infant food/formula, non-alcoholic beverages, snack foods, etc.)
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) strongly encourages importers of Manufactured Food Sector foods to obtain their licence as soon as possible and to have their licence prior to importing. Information on how to apply for a Safe Food for Canadians licence is available on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website.
As a result of COVID-19, the CFIA will not prioritize compliance activities associated with the JULY 15, 2020 coming into force of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations for the Manufactured Food Sector. Rejection notices will not be issued for those businesses who have not obtained their SFC licence by July 15th, 2020. The exact implementation date to begin rejecting shipments with invalid SFC licences is to be determined.
The Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) shows the import requirements for Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulated commodities and will indicate when an SFC licence is required at the time of import.
Reminder on Safe Food for Canadians Regulations requirements for the manufactured food sector
Please direct any questions or concerns to our regulatory team at transitioncdn@willsonintl.com.