Importing fresh fruit or vegetables

Overview

Importers are responsible for ensuring that they import fresh fruit and vegetables that meet all applicable food safety and consumer protection requirements outlined in the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and the Food and Drug Regulations.

Certain imported fruits or vegetables could have additional requirements from other Canadian regulations such as Plant Protection Act and Plant Protection Regulations, where a phytosanitary certification or an import permit may be required.

Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation Membership

In addition to a licence to import, importers of fresh fruits and vegetables must also hold membership with the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation. This does not apply to nuts, wild fruits and wild vegetables. For more information regarding membership, consult the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation's website.

There are some permitted exceptions to requiring a membership:

Any person who only sells fresh fruits or vegetables directly to consumers, less than $100,000 within the previous 12 months
Any person who sends or conveys from one province to another or imports or exports less than one metric ton (2 205 lb) of fresh fruits and vegetables per day
Any person who only sells fresh fruits or vegetables that they have grown themselves
Any organization that is a registered charity as defined in subsection 248(1) of the Income Tax Act or a club, society or association described in paragraph 149(1)(l) of that Act

Even if you are exempt from having a membership, you are still required to hold a licence to import under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.

Standards of identity and grades

Labelling requirements

Import requirements for specific fresh fruit and vegetables

Some products are associated with elevated food safety risks and have specific import requirements to minimize potential hazards.

Import certification

Imported apples, onions and potatoes require an inspection certificate indicating minimum Canadian import requirements for quality, labelling, and packaging are met. The certificate is to be provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (apples) or by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Pesticide residues

The CFIA monitors both domestically grown and imported fresh fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues. Division 15 of the Food and Drug Regulations states that the pesticide residues found on fruits and vegetables should not exceed established maximum residue limits. These limits can be found in the online Maximum residue limits database tool (Health Canada).

Sulphites

Sulphites are sulphur-based substances that may be used by suppliers of fresh fruit and vegetables as preservatives to prevent product spoilage and discoloration during storage and transport. The presence of sulphites in fresh fruit and vegetables may present a serious or life threatening health risk for sensitive individuals.

Imported fresh fruit or vegetables intended to be consumed raw and that are treated with sulphites are not permitted for sale in Canada. Only grapes are exempt from this restriction.

Destination inspection service

The CFIA provides destination inspections for buyers of shipped produce to provide an impartial inspection report for the resolution of buyer/seller disputes regarding the quality of fresh fruit and vegetables.

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