Food imports into Canada: what CFIA expects before your shipment lands
Safe Food for Canadians licences, preventive control plans and import declarations — the compliance layer that food importers cannot improvise.
Food is one of the most regulated import categories in Canada, and the framework is the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). Most businesses importing food commercially need a Safe Food for Canadians licence before the goods arrive — applying after the container lands is a storage bill, not a plan.
Beyond the licence, importers must maintain a preventive control plan appropriate to their products and traceability records that can track food one step back and one step forward. Certain commodities — meat, dairy, eggs, fish, fresh produce — carry additional certificate, registration or inspection requirements from the origin country.
At the border, food entries are declared with CFIA-specific data through the integrated import declaration, and shipments can be referred for inspection. Accurate product descriptions, origin details and licence numbers on the entry are what keep referral rates low.
Our leadership's background includes food manufacturing and distribution, which shapes how we handle these shipments: temperature integrity through the whole chain, documentation checked against CFIA requirements before loading, and honest transit planning that respects shelf life. Food freight rewards forwarders who understand the product, not just the container.
General information, not advice for a specific transaction — trade rules change and details depend on your goods and lanes. Ask our team about your situation, or request a quote.