Fresh fruit and fresh fruit products foreign establishment verification in Costa Rica

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1.0 Mission overview

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted 6 on-site verifications of fresh produce packers and manufacturers in Costa Rica from February 7 to 14, 2023. They were conducted in the Limón, Alajuela and Cartago provinces. These verifications included various fresh fruit and fresh fruit products that are eligible for export to Canada without additional certification.

The CFIA worked with Costa Rica's Ministry of Health to plan the verification. The Ministry of Health (central and regional level participants) and Costa Rica's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock State Phytosanitary Service were present on-site to help coordinate and execute the verifications.

The CFIA held an initial virtual opening meeting with the Ministry of Health on February 1, 2023. The Ministry of Health presented an overview of the current legal framework and oversight for Costa Rica's food safety system. The CFIA presented an overview of the upcoming verification including the objective, scope, verification procedures, and the food safety standards used in Canada.

A virtual closing meeting was held on February 28, 2023. The CFIA presented a high-level overview of verification observations.

2.0 Verification objective

The objective of establishment verifications is to observe the exporting or manufacturing establishments capacity to produce safe, unadulterated products for the Canadian market. In addition, the verification team observes how the identified products meet Canadian requirements or provide the same level of food safety as food made in Canada. Information gathered is used to further assess the risk associated with imported products and promote compliance with the different participants along the food supply chain.

3.0 Verification standards and criteria

The verification standards used by the CFIA are based on international standards, such as those developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). Within the scope of the verification, the principles outlined in these standards were employed:

  • RCP 1-1969 – General Principles of Food Hygiene
  • STAN 1-1985 – General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods
  • GL-20-1995 – Principles for Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification
  • GL-21-1997 – Principles and Guidelines for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods
  • RCP 44-1995, and 1-2004 – Code of Practice for Packaging and Transport of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
  • RCP 53-2003 – Code of Hygienic Practices for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The CFIA structured its verification criteria using the CFIA's Integrated Agency Inspection Model (iAIM) and the 7 elements of a preventive control plan:

  1. Process and product controls
  2. Sanitation, biosecurity, biocontainment, pest control and chemicals
  3. Hygiene, biosecurity and employee training
  4. Equipment design and maintenance
  5. Physical structure, surroundings and maintenance
  6. Receiving, transportation and storage
  7. Traceability, recalls and complaints

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The CFIA's inspection model (iAIM)is outcome-based. Manufacturers can be flexible in choosing a food safety system (such as, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) or Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)) for their preventive control plan.

Any food product imported into Canada must meet the food safety, composition and labelling requirements from the Safe Food for Canadians Act, the Food and Drugs Act, and their Regulations.

4.0 Verification scope

The establishments were selected based on various factors, including:

  • export volume to Canada
  • product compliance history
  • pre-identified food safety risks associated with certain food commodities
  • recommendations by the Ministry of Health

Each establishment verification included an opening meeting, a walk-through of the establishment, a documentation review, interviews with company representatives, and a short closing meeting.

The establishment verification scope included all 7 elements of a preventive control plan. The CFIA team focused their verification on Elements 1 (Process and Product controls) and 7 (Traceability, Recalls and Complaints).

Table 1: The 6 fresh and processed fruit establishments visited
Commodity and establishment type No. of sites visited Province(s)

Fresh whole bananas /

  • Packer
  • Exporter
 1 Limón

Fruit – purée, juice, and frozen products /

  • Processor
  • Packer
  • Exporter
 2 Limón

Fresh whole pineapples /

  • Grower
  • Packer
  • Exporter
 1 Limón

Fruit and vegetable – purée, juice and concentrate products /

  • Processor
  • Packer
  • Exporter
 1 Alajuela

Fruit (pineapple) – pulp and Individually Quick Frozen (IQF)/

  • Processor
  • Packer
  • Exporter
 1 Cartago

5.0 Comments and observations

Table 2: Total number of observations reported by preventive control plan element
Preventive control plan element Total no. of observations
Element 1 – Process and product controls 8
Element 2- Sanitation, biosecurity, biocontainment, pest and chemicals 6
Element 3 – Hygiene, biosecurity and employee training 0
Element 4- Equipment design and maintenance 4
Element 5 – Physical structure, surroundings and maintenance 12
Element 6 – Receiving, transportation and storage 0
Element 7 – Traceability, recalls and complaints 1
Total 31

5.1 Element 1 – Process and Product Controls

This element covers the controls implemented by the establishment related to incoming ingredients, processing steps in production, testing, and labelling of the final product, focusing on products destined for the Canadian marketplace.

Total observations for this Element: 8

Process controls
  • 2 establishments were not following their reprocessing controls as communicated:
    • in 1 establishment, the physical segregation of the product was not being followed.
    • in 1 establishment:
      • the maximum amount of time allotted for products to wait to be processed, or further reprocessed, was exceeded twice.
      • product meant for further processing was not labelled for it.
  • Malfunctioning equipment was releasing valid product to the lower hygiene outer waste area, where it was being returned to the higher hygiene inside area, in 1 establishment.
Product controls
  • 1 establishment was not aware of current requirements to export to Canada.
  • In 1 establishment:
    • documents requested on-site were not available, not provided, or the process was unable to be clarified
    • an approved list of chemicals for use on-site could not be provided, and was not known by the person being interviewed on the subject

5.2 Element 2 – Sanitation, Biosecurity, Biocontainment, Pest Control and Chemicals

This element addresses the effectiveness of the sanitation and pest control programs implemented at the establishment, the use and control of chemicals, and the controls in place to prevent the introduction or spread of any pests or diseases.

Total observations for this Element: 6

Pest control

The pest controls in place in 4 establishments may not have been sufficient or were not being followed as written:

  • in 3 establishments, it was noted that pest control measures were ineffective in preventing flying pests from entering the receiving and processing areas
  • in 1 establishment, pest traps were not numbered according to the written plan
  • in 1 establishment, pest traps were missing or damaged
Chemicals
  • In 1 establishment, cleaning chemicals were left in the primary processing area after line cleaning during product processing.
Sanitation program
  • In 1 establishment, the written cleaning procedures did not include all utensils in use on the production line.

5.3 Element 3 – Hygiene, Biosecurity and Employee Training

This element addresses the training provided to employees and the adherence to procedures related to hygienic practices.

Total observations for this Element: 0

Note: This Element was partially assessed in 4 establishments and fully assessed in 2 establishments.

5.4 Element 4 – Equipment Design and Maintenance

This element addresses the equipment and utensils used in the establishments and the procedures in place to ensure that they are maintained, calibrated and used in a manner that does not contaminate products or packaging materials.

Total observations for this Element: 4

Note: This Element was not assessed in 2 establishments, partially assessed in 1 establishment and fully assessed in 3 establishments.

  • 2 establishments had machines that were dripping product while in production.
  • 2 establishments had equipment in a state of disrepair.

5.5 Element 5 – Physical Structure, Surroundings and Maintenance

This element covers the on-site conditions of the premises and surroundings, the effectiveness of the building maintenance, and the controls in place for water supply and waste disposal to prevent contamination of commodities.

Total observations for this Element: 12

Note: This Element was partially assessed in 2 establishments and fully assessed in 4 establishments.

Physical structure
  • In 3 establishments, the floors and walls were in a state of disrepair.
  • 3 establishments had large gaps which could allow pests to enter between the floor and the wall or door.
  • 1 establishment had insufficient lighting in work areas.
  • In 2 establishments, it was noted that condensation was collecting directly over the final product.
Surroundings
  • 1 establishment had a damaged perimeter fence.
  • 1 establishment had an accumulation of old office furniture outside where pests could possibly gather.
Maintenance
  • 1 establishment had a dirty garbage bin located close to the product. The bin was in disrepair and attracting flying pests.

5.6 Element 6 – Receiving, Transportation and Storage

This element addresses the controls at the establishment level for the receiving, transportation and storage of food products and packaging materials to prevent the damage, spoilage, or contamination of food commodities and to maintain their integrity.

Total observations for this Element: 0

Note: This Element was partially assessed in 2 establishments and fully assessed in 4 establishments.

5.7 Element 7 – Traceability, Recalls and Complaints

This element covers the controls over product traceability and recall/withdrawal capacity and the investigation conducted at the establishment level following an incident or a complaint to prevent the issue from reoccurring.

Total observations for this Element: 1

Note: This Element was partially assessed in 4 establishments and fully assessed in 2 establishments.

  • 1 establishment had an incomplete recall process.
    Note: The Ministry of Health was in the final stages of developing a recall process for industry at the time of the on-site visit, which should help the establishment in addressing the issue.

6.0 Follow-up

The establishment, the Ministry of Health (central and regional level participants) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock State Phytosanitary Service took note of the observations identified during the individual establishment closing meetings.

  • Any observations communicated on-site and within this report were addressed
  • Follow-up was provided to the CFIA by the Ministry of Health within 60 days upon receipt of this report

The CFIA is confident that observations communicated on-site and within this report were addressed by the establishments. The Ministry of Health provided the CFIA with their verifications that the corrective actions were completed.

7.0 Conclusion

These establishment verifications were completed successfully with the cooperation and support of the Ministry of Health (central and regional level participants) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock State Phytosanitary Service.

This verification allowed the CFIA to:

  • build on existing relationships with the Ministry of Health
  • ensure the safety of products exported to Canada
  • better understand the multiple participants involved in the food supply chain

This verification permitted a direct exchange of information at the establishment level, facilitating future export of products to the Canadian marketplace. This verification provided an opportunity for the CFIA to share information on Canadian legislative requirements and contribute to compliance promotion for visited establishments.

8.0 References

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