Requirements for Canadian organic agricultural products for export to Costa Rica
On March 28, 2013, the Government of Canada entered into an agreement on the trade of organic products with Costa Rica.
Pursuant to the national legislation of Costa Rica, the National Phytosanitary Service/ Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado (SFE) has determined that the Canadian organic agricultural products which are:
- grown, produced, and certified in Canada
- in conformity with the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations,
- certified by a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) accredited Certification Body under the Canada Organic Regime;
are deemed to have been produced and certified in accordance to Costa Rica's national law governing the organic agriculture regime.
Organic products exported from Canada for import to Costa Rica under this recognition may bear the Canada Organic Logo and/or Costa Rica's organic seal as spelled out in the letter of recognition of equivalence.
Organic products must be accompanied by an organic certificate issued by a CFIA accredited Certification Body.
All organic products imported in to Costa Rica must meet Costa Rica's food safety and labelling requirements.
Requirements for Costa Rica organic agricultural products for import to Canada
Pursuant to the Safe Food for Canadians Act and the Canada Agricultural Products Act, the CFIA has determined that the agricultural products of plant origin which are:
- grown, produced, and processed in Costa Rica
- in conformity with the National Organic Production Regulations of Costa Rica
- produced and processed under an organic certification program that provides safeguards and guidelines governing the production and processing of such products
are deemed equivalent to those products that have been produced and processed in accordance with Part 13 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
Organic products exported from Costa Rica for import to Canada under this recognition may bear the Canada Organic Logo and/or Costa Rica's organic seal as spelled out in the letter of recognition of equivalence.
Organic products must be accompanied by an organic certificate issued by a Costa Rican accredited Certification Body and an export certificate signed by the National Phytosanitary Service/ Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado (SFE). The list of the certification bodies is available via the Costa Rica competent authority web page (Spanish only).
All foods imported into Canada must meet the regulatory requirements under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations, and the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, as well as the Canadian labelling requirements.