Safe Food for Canadians Regulations – licence renewals

Importers and exporters who currently hold Safe Food licences are reminded to observe the expiry dates on these.  If they wish to continue with intended import and export activities on given products, licence renewals must be obtained well in advance.  As some importers may have obtained their initial licence a year ago, they may be expiring soon!

The general renewal conditions are noted below and further details can be found here.

General conditions for issuing, renewing or amending a licence.

• There are several requirements that the CFIA must consider before issuing, renewing or amending your licence. These requirements are:
  • You are in compliance with the requirements in Part 4 – Preventive Controls of the SFCR, regardless of whether or not you already have a licence. This applies to:
    • a food for which you have a licence to manufacture, process, treat, preserve, grade, package or label or store for export or to be sent or conveyed from one province or territory to another;
    • a food animal that you slaughter to export or to send or convey from one province to another the meat product that you derived from the food animal;
    • an edible meat product that you store and handle in its imported condition for CFIA inspection;
    • a food that you import
  • If you would like an export certificate to export a food commodity that you manufacture, process, treat, preserve, grade, package, label or stored for the purpose of human consumption in a foreign state:
    • the competent authority in that foreign state must have requested that you receive an export certificate from the CFIA, for that food commodity; and
    • that you meet the requirements of Part 4 – Preventive Controls of the SFCR, except for Division 3 – Treatment and Processes.
      • Refer to Regulatory Requirements: Preventive controls to familiarize yourself the with food safety requirement, found in Part 4 of the SFCR.
  • Based on the information you provided on your application, the activity for which you requested a licence to be issued, renewed or amended is not considered to present a risk of injury to human health; and
  • The information in your application is complete, truthful and not misleading.
• If you are in default of payment of one or more fees that is related to the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA), we will not issue a licence to you.

Source: Canadian Society of Customs Brokers (CSCB)