Food > Fish and Seafood > Imports 

Information for Enhanced QMP Importers using Private
Laboratories for Testing Fish and Fish Products

Private laboratories acceptable to the CFIA for testing fish and fish products must be accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) under the Program for Accreditation of Laboratories (PALCAN), Agricultural and Food Products Specialty Area, as specified in the guideline CAN-P-1587.

The CFIA has established requirements for the acceptance of analytical results from third party laboratories. Such laboratories must be accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories or its replacement by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). Acceptance of results is contingent on those routine tests and analytical matrices being included in the laboratory’s current scope of accreditation. Scopes of accredited laboratories showing test names, matrices and methods of analysis may be found on the SCC website at http://palcan.scc.ca/SpecsSearch/GLSearchForm.do?language=en

With respect to microbiological testing, SCC accredited laboratories that are recognized as acceptable for microbiological testing of fish and fish products must also participate in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) Microbiology Proficiency Testing Program for Meat.

For further information, please contact:

Questions relating to laboratory requirements:

Science Branch, Ottawa
Rose Medaglia
National Manager, Laboratory Accreditation Programs
ph: (613) 221-7075
e-mail: Rose Medaglia

Questions related to the import program policy:

Fish, Seafood and Production Division
Alf Bungay
National Manager, Inspection Systems and HACCP
ph: (613) 221-7026
e-mail: Alf Bungay