Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency monitors fresh fruits and vegetables that are imported and domestically grown and traded under federal standards.

CFIA activities include:

• Inspecting products for their safety and wholesomeness.
• Verifying compliance with the federal grade, packaging and labelling requirements.
• Supporting orderly marketing to provide fairness in the marketplace.

The key acts and regulations we enforce are:

• Canada Agricultural Products Act
  • Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Regulations
    • Test Marketing list (Section 2.3)
  • Licensing and Arbitration Regulations
• Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act
  • Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations
• Food and Drugs Act
  • Food and Drug Regulations

Information we provide for consumers includes:

• Common causes of food borne illness
• Fresh fruit and vegetable fact sheets

Information we provide for the food industry includes:

• Imports and interprovincial trade
  • Canadian Import, Export and Interprovincial Requirements
  • Automated Import Reference System (AIRS)
  • Guidelines for requesting and administering Ministerial Exemptions
  • Country Specific Requirements
  • List Federal Produce Licensee
  • List Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC)
• Food Safety
  • Industry Advisories
  • Codes of Practice
  • Sampling and Testing
  • Compliance List for Agricultural Chemical Residues
• Quality Inspection and Certification
  • Fruit Inspection Manuals
  • Vegetable Inspection Manuals
  • Canadian Partners in Quality Manual
  • Labelling
• Destination Inspection Services

Additional government and industry information can be found at:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – InfoHort
• Blue Book Services
• Canadian Produce Marketing Association
• Canadian Horticultural Council
• Fresh Produce Alliance
• Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation
• United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Marketing Service
  • Fruit and Vegetable Market News