Food > Fresh Fruits and Vegetables 

Canadian Import, Export and Interprovincial Requirements for Fresh Fruit & Vegetables

Interprovincial Requirements

If you wish to ship a domestically produced fruit and vegetable (also referred to as fresh products) from one province to another, please ensure that the following points are respected:

1. The shipper and receiver must be LICENSED with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) or a member of the Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC).

2. At least the MINIMUM GRADE must be respected for the products regulated by the fresh fruit and vegetable regulations, except strawberries and blueberries unless a grade is marked.

3. An INSPECTION CERTIFICATE must be requested from CFIA on the following fresh products:

   • Apples grown in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario or British Columbia;

   • Potatoes grown in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec or Ontario;

   • Blueberries from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island packed in containers of 6 L or less.

4. PRESCRIBED CONTAINERS

5. CORRECT LABELLING

6. A CONFIRMATION OF SALE (C.O.S.) form must accompany the load. An exception for an interprovincial shipment is if the load has already been imported or shipped interprovincially and was accompanied by a C.O.S.

7. HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

   • Interprovincial shipment of products that do not meet items b, c, d, and e may only take place if authorized by the consignee's regional Canadian Food Inspection Agency office prior to shipment. This approval is known as a MINISTERIAL EXEMPTION, and is conditional on availability of local supplies.
   • The sale of fresh fruit and vegetables within a province is regulated by provincial authorities, and any questions should be referred to the provincial department of agriculture.
   • The same exemptions apply for dealers and travellers as covered in the Import Section.

Canadian Export Requirements

If you wish to export fresh products, please ensure that the following points are observed:

1. All exporters of fresh fruit, vegetables, or edible fungi from Canada are not required to be LICENSED.

2. For fresh products falling under the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Regulations there is no grade requirement to export. Some exceptions exist: apples shipped to the USA must meet Canada Extra Fancy Grade or Canada Fancy Grade, and, to all other countries, Canada Extra Fancy Grade, Canada Fancy Grade, or Canada Commercial Grade; potatoes and onions shipped to USA must meet minimum grade Canada No. 2; tomatoes shipped to USA must meet Canada No. 1.

3. The following products must be inspected by a Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspector, and be accompanied by an INSPECTION CERTIFICATE:

   To the United States & Puerto Rico: onions, potatoes, and field tomatoes;

4. The LABELLING REQUIREMENTS of the importing country.

5. Container requirements are determined by the importing country.

6. HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

   • A TRAVELLER leaving the country with fresh products covered by the FFVR need not worry about the above items a, b, c, and d, if the shipment does not exceed 15 packages and a total weight of 250 kg.
   • If in doubt about a foreign country's requirements on imported fresh product regarding quality, packaging, labelling, health, or phytosanitary requirements, it is advisable that you contact the importing country's department of agriculture or perhaps its embassy/consulate/trade commission in Canada before exporting.
   • For questions on documentation required by the Canada Border Services Agency, please contact your local CBSA office

Minimum Grade

Grades as described in the FFVR have been established for the products listed below. For example, the grades established for carrots are Canada No. 1 Grade, and Canada No. 2 Grade; Canada No. 2 Grade is the minimum grade. For imported fresh products, or imported fresh products prepackaged in Canada, the word "Canada" must not be used; therefore, the following grade names are used for carrots: No. 1 Grade, and No. 2 Grade. Except for potatoes and apples as described in section 3, the minimum grade is the lowest grade permitted in import, export, and interprovincial marketing, unless a ministerial exemption has been granted. It is optional to declare the grade name on strawberry labels; however, if the grade name is declared, the strawberries must meet the grade.

Prescribed Containers

Prescribed container sizes must be respected for the following products if prepackaged: beets, carrots, onions, parsnips, peaches, potatoes and rutabagas; please consult the "Packaging" section in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Regulations. In the case of import and interprovincial trade, fresh products may not be marketed in containers exceeding 25 kg net weight for apples, and 50 kg for all other fresh products.

Under certain conditions, a ministerial exemption may be granted as explained in the Canadian Import Requirements and, Interprovincial Requirements.

Labelling Requirements and Label Review

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for labelling on fresh fruit and vegetables. Please use the following summary only as a guide to the basic labelling requirements under the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Regulations. These acts and regulations must be consulted for further details, since not all details are listed below.

A "prepackaged product" means produce that is packaged in a container in such a manner that it is ordinarily sold to, or purchased by a consumer without being re-packaged. In general, prepackaged fresh products for which grades are or are not established have the following labelling requirements:

1. COMMON NAME, if the product is not readily visible and identifiable;

2. NET QUANTITY DECLARATION by count, weight or volume (Canadian & metric units); the abbreviations for pounds, ounces, grams, and kilograms should be in lower case letters with no "s", brackets, or periods; for example: NET WT 12 oz 340 g POIDS NET or POIDS NET WT 12 oz 340 g.

3. COMPLETE NAME AND ADDRESS of a responsible party, including postal code;

4. GRADE NAME for produce for which grade names are established in Canada. The use of the Canada grade name is restricted to produce grown in Canada only. Imported produce for which a grade name is required may be labelled with the grade name established in the country of origin or may be labelled with a Canadian grade name equivalent. For example, the Canadian grade name equivalent for "Canada No. 1" is "No. 1 Grade";

5. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN for imported product, the words "Product of (name of country)" or other words that clearly indicate the country in which the produce was grown must appear in close proximity to the grade name or net quantity declaration. Close proximity is defined as not more than two line spaces above or below, or two type spaces before or after the grade or net quantity declaration;

6. OTHER MANDATORY INFORMATION as stipulated in the various sets of regulations may be required depending on the nature of the food or the types of claims being made;

7. BILINGUALISM all mandatory information must appear in English and French, except sub-sections c and i, which may be in English or French;

8. MINIMUM HEIGHT OF CHARACTERS must be respected for labelling; this depends on the dimensions of the principal display surface; and

9. Name of the VARIETY for apples and pears.

10. Labels for yellow fleshed potatoes shall show "yellow fleshed", where the word "potatoes" is shown on the label, or "yellow fleshed potatoes" where the word "potatoes" is not shown.

The universal product code (UPC) is not obligatory; contact GS1 Canada (http://www.gs1ca.org/home.asp);

Shipping containers must be labelled in English or French with the following mandatory information:

1. Common name of product;

2. Net quantity;

3. Grade name, if applicable; imported product is exempted;

4. Complete name and address of of the person by or for whom the produce was grown or packaged for resale including the postal or zip code;

5. For imported product, the words "Product of (name of country)";

6. For product to be exported, the words "Product of Canada"; and

7. Name of the variety for apples and pears.

If packages are packed in another container, the outer container does not need to be marked with the product name, grade name, address, or country of origin, if this information can easily be read through the outer container.

Label Review

Label review for fresh fruit and vegetable products is not mandatory. For labelling assistance, contact your regional Canadian Food Inspection Agency office; private consultants are also available to assist.

Licensing & Registered Warehouses

Licensing: A license or a DRC membership are necessary for anyone wishing to import, export from Canada, or market interprovincially (ship or receive) fresh fruit and vegetables, or edible fungi, and for anyone brokering such a deal. Licensing or DRC membership is necessary to ensure the fair and orderly marketing of fresh fruit and vegetables. Please contact your regional Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Fresh Fruit & Vegetable licensing officer or DRC office, for further information well in advance of placing your first order. An annual fee of $1,075.00 is charged. An application form must be completed including such information, if applicable, as a copy of your articles of incorporation, a letter of reference from your bank, and proof of access to a suitable storage.

Registered Establishments: If you wish to ship your own produce interprovincially, without requiring the obligatory inspections, you may apply for a registered warehouse. You may contact your nearest  Canadian Food Inspection Agency's regional office for further information on registration requirements.

Regional Canadian Food Inspection Agency Offices

Questions on marketing fresh fruit and vegetables may be directed to the CFIA fresh fruit and vegetable officer at any of the offices listed below:

Import Service Centres

Duties and Tariffs - Canada Border Services Agency

For any questions on duties and tariffs on imported products, please contact your regional Canada Border Services Agency office (www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/listing/indexpages/index-e.html).

Inspection of Product

Receiving Deteriorated Product: If a receiver in Canada has received produce in a deteriorated condition or has agreed to handle product in a deteriorated condition, he is legally required to request an inspection from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency within 24 hours of reception. The reason for this is to help determine the responsibility for the condition of the load so that a fair settlement may be made between the shipper and receiver.

Monitoring Inspections: At any time, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency may randomly inspect any food product to ensure that minimum requirements (grade, labelling, standard containers, & health standards) are met. Non-compliant product will be detained until it meets regulatory requirements, or, if imported, may be ordered out of the country or destroyed.

Inspection Fees: A fee is charged for inspections other than monitoring inspections.

Products Regulated by the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Regulations

Fresh Fruit & Vegetables for which grades are established:

Fruit:

Vegetables: (miniature vegetables are excluded, but miniature cucumbers are included)

Board of Arbitration

The Licensing and Arbitration Regulations, under which all dealers are licensed or a member of the DRC, contain standards that all Canadian licensees must abide by in marketing fresh fruit and vegetables. If any dealer or a member of the DRC is affected by the failure of a licensed dealer to meet any of the standards, a complaint may be lodged with the Board of Arbitration within nine months of the transaction. Loads in dispute must have been imported into Canada or crossed provincial borders, and a complaint must be filed against a Canadian licensee or a DRC member. After receiving the complaint in writing, an attempt is made to settle the complaint amicably between the two parties. If such a settlement is not made, the Board of Arbitration will then make a decision on who is responsible, based on a breach of the five standards: transportation, storage, quality, packaging, and preservation of condition. The Board does not have jurisdiction over contractual matters such as non-payment of invoices, off-setting of invoices, size requirements, and so on. There is a $400.00 (Cdn) filing fee per load per complaint. The Board's membership comprises experts, and the service is generally faster (approximately 15 months) than taking the complaint through the justice system. In not complying with a Board's decision, a licensee risks certain penalties such as requirement to post a bond, or suspension or even cancellation of one's license to deal in fresh products. The Board's decisions can be appealed to the Review Tribunal or registered in federal court.

For further information on the Board of Arbitration, or to register a complaint, contact the following: Fresh Products Section, Food of Plant Origin, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 159 Cleopatra Dr., Ottawa, ON K1A 0Y9, Tel.: 613-225-2342, or Fax: 613-221-7404.

Complaints by Canadian exporters against U.S. receivers can be made through the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, USDA, (202) 720-2890.