[March 9, 2021 – Toronto, CA] – Recently, Canada’s importing and exporting oversight agencies announced that as of March 15, 2021, all food import transactions will be rejected unless they have a valid Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence that can be entered into their Integrated Import Declaration (IID).
If a transaction is stopped or rejected, the food importer may experience delays and have all of their shipment held at the border until the proper SFC licensing issues are addressed and an accurate IID form is resubmitted.
It’s important for those importing food into Canada to have already obtained their SFC licence to import prior to presenting their shipment at the Canadian border. This is because importers will be unable to obtain the proper licence at the border.
Those that currently hold a licence should review their profile to ensure that it has been issued for “importing” and that the commodities you intend to import are mentioned on the licence.
For those that don’t currently hold an SFC licence, it’s important to note that the application for a new licence or any request to amend a current licence could take up to 15 business days or longer.
To apply for a Safe Food for Canadians licence, importers need to create an account in My CFIA, and determine their licence structure before applying. There is no limit to the number of SFC licences one can hold; importers can operate on a single licence or multiple ones to suit their needs.
More information about importing food into Canada with a Safe Food for Canadians licence can be found here.
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